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The Gender Wage GapMost of us have already heard that women in America only earn 77% of a man’s salary. While that number may not be 100% accurate, data taken from various sources such as the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Census shows us an unexplained 9% gap in salary continues to exist between men and women (Blau and Kahn). So the question is not if there’s a wage gap, but what’s causing it. One of the most amazing things about this country is even though our time-line is short, America has become a beacon of hope to the oppressed people in the world; a home for those who believe in equality and aren’t afraid to stand up and fight for it. So why is it that an issue as small as gender inequality is still so hard for our nation to overcome?One view about what causes this wage difference blames the people who are in charge of determining employee wages. There has been some speculation that says companies will base the wages upon which jobs within their business attract higher ratios of women, and reduce the salary accordingly because of gender stereotypes. In short, it is gender discrimination that looks at what jobs can be classified as “women’s work” and thus receive less pay. There is not a lot of actual evidence or proof to support these claims, and it could be argued that the reason for the difference in pay is actually because of job difficulty and physical demands that more men can meet, to nobody’s fault. We like to think that the problem is not gender discrimination, but instead other extenuating circumstances that cause women to earn less than men. For instance, earning a college degree can be a great way to significantly increase an individual’s overall income, and depending on what type of degree you earn will drastically affect your annual salary. So another view about what causes a man to make more money than a woman is because there are certain degrees that higher numbers of women will achieve that also land them in lower paying careers (i.e. women are more likely to earn teaching degrees whereas men will go for engineering or computer science degrees). However, the U.S. 2000 Census shows an average salary for men and women across all highest paying occupations including, but not limited to: physicians, surgeons, astronomers, physicists, pharmacists, veterinarians, etc. Looking at both genders aged 35-54 years old, on average women still only make 71.4% of a man’s salary. In the same age group, when they compared similar levels of college education for both men and women, women still only made 72.1% of a man’s salary (Weinburg). That tells us there is still a 27.9% difference in pay that education alone is not accounting for.A third view is that differences in experience, the occupation itself and the industry could contribute to a difference in pay by saying the societal gender roles bestowed upon men and women are the reason for a wage gap. What that means is that the occupations that attract more male employees than female employees do so because there is a higher level of risk involved, thus include a higher salary. There is also the idea that, for the most part, women are caretakers and will stay at home with the children while their husband is working and gaining experience in his field, and that women are more likely than men to actually take time off of work which results in a difference in actual hours worked. It seems likely that these would explain the difference in pay between men and women, and to some extent it does. But a study conducted by Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn says otherwise.In Blau and Kahn’s study “The U.S. Gender Pay Gap in the 1990s: Slowing Convergence”, data from 1998 was used to look at differences in hourly wages between men and women. Their study also made sure to account for education, experience, occupation, industry, collective bargaining coverage, which is, as defined by stats., “the extent to which the terms of workers’ employment are influenced by collective negotiation; the coverage rate.” and other characteristics. The conclusion of their study revealed the unexplained difference of 9% between men and women (Blau and Kahn).By looking at the evidence that is currently out there right now, a fourth view about the wage gap leaves us with two possible answers. Either America is still struggling with gender discrimination in the workplace, even though it’s been 52 years since the Equal Pay act of 1963, or it’s because of factors that we have yet to discover or include in our extensive research of this issue.My personal opinion on the matter is that I’m hopeful there is something we aren’t seeing which is causing a gap in pay. After all the reading and research I’ve done, I’ve concluded that men and women with the same education, experience, job and family situation (marriage, number of kids, etc), still see anywhere from 80% to 90% difference in pay, in favor of men. I also see statistics of men who were asked if it would bother them if their girlfriend/wife made more money than them, and roughly 80% of men say it doesn’t and/or wouldn’t bother them at all. What that means is since the majority of men actually want equal pay for their significant others, then there is a small group of people responsible in the event that what we’re dealing with is gender discrimination. Research conducted by USA Today shows us that 58% of CEOs are ages 50-59, while only 5.4% of CEOs are in their 40s and younger, and 1.2% are older than 70 (Stuart). So considering the era in which a majority of these CEOs grew up in and what society was like at the time, I guess it would just go to show that you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Which is in no way an excuse for what’s happening, but it would help in explaining the reason for our current situation.But no matter how grim the evidence and data makes the situation look today, I’m confident in our generation, as well as generations to come, and that we’ll start to do the right thing as we usher in new business owners, CEOs, presidents etc.Work CitedBlau, Francine D., and Lawrence M. Kahn. "U.S. Gender Pay Gap In The 1990S: Slowing Convergence, The [Article]." Industrial and Labor Relations Review 1 (2006): 45. HeinOnline. Web. 2 May 2015England, Paula. "The Pay Gap between Male and Female Jobs: Organizational and Legal Realities." Law & Social Inquiry 2000: 913. JSTOR Journals. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.England, Paula; Evertsson, Marie; Hermsen, Joan; Cotter, David. “How Does Gender Inequality in Employment and Earnings Vary by Educational Stratum in Sweden and the United States?” International Journal of Sociology (2007) Vol. 37 Issue 2, p9-28Kim, Marlene. "Policies To End The Gender Wage Gap In The United States." Review Of Radical Political Economics 3 (2013): 278. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.Otani, Akane, and Rodkin, Jonathan. “Same job, same performance, same experience, same degree: Women still make less in?finance.” Financial Post. January 30th, 2015. Web. April 25, 2015."Pay Equity Overview." Congressional Digest 93.5 (2014): 3-32. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.Stanberry, Kurt, and Forrest Aven. "Unequal Pay For Equal Work: Why Women Still Lag Behind After The 50Th Anniversary Of The U.S. Equal Pay Act." Compensation & Benefits Review 45.4 (2013): 193. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. Stuart, Spencer. “Does age matter when you’re CEO?” USA Today. September 11th, 2008. Web. April 25, 2015. Weinberg, Daniel H. “Earnings By Gender: Evidence From Census 2000.” Monthly Labor Review 130.7/8 (2007): 26-34. Business Source Premier. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.Weinberger, Catherine J. "In Search of the Glass Ceiling: Gender and Earnings Growth Among U.S. College Graduates in the 1990S." Industrial & Labor Relations Review 64.5 (2011): 949-980. Business Source Premier. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.Yun, Myeong-Su. "Earnings Inequality In Usa, 1969-99: Comparing Inequality Using Earnings Equations." Review of Income and Wealth 1 (2006): 127. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.. Glossary of Statistical Terms. May 2nd, 2002. 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