How come there is no economic equity in this country?

Question

I was shocked when I read in my econ book that women get paid less for the same job than men. I still can believe it. What do you think?

Answer 1

From the 2003-4 Bureau of Labor Statistics (part of the U.S. Census Bureau): Some facts about women's educational background first:
In 1970, only 11 percent of women age 25 to 64 had completed 4 or more years of college; by 2004, nearly 33 percent held a college degree.

Also from the US Department of Labor 2003-4 Statistics:
Female college graduates age 25 and over earned about 76 percent more than women with only a high school diploma in 2004. This difference in earnings by education has increased sharply since 1979, when female college graduates earned 43 percent more than female high school graduates.

Nonetheless, female college graduates who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings that were only *75* percent of those of their male counterparts in 2004, $860 versus $1,143.

In 2004, half of all management, professional, and related occupations were held by women. Employed Asian women were more likely than employed white, black, or Hispanic women to work in management, professional, and related occupations (about 44 percent compared with 39, 31, and 22 percent, respectively). Hispanic and black women (30 and 27 percent, respectively) were more likely than white or Asian women (19 percent each) to work in service occupations.

In 2004, about 1.3 million female workers paid at an hourly rate had earnings at or below the Federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour; nearly half of these women were age 16 to 24. Among workers age 25 years and over who were paid hourly rates, about 2 percent of women had earnings at or below the minimum wage, *twice* the rate for men.

Women who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more in 2003 were slightly more likely than men to live in poverty; 6.0 percent of women were in poverty versus 4.7 percent of men. Moreover, among those who worked or looked for work for 27 weeks or more, black and Hispanic women were more than *twice* as likely as white and Asian women to live below the poverty level.

So why the disparity?
Let's look at the latest update from Sept 2006 from the US Department of Labor:
The difference between women’s and men’s earnings was much larger among middle-aged and older workers than among younger workers. For instance, among workers aged 45 to 54, women earned 75 percent as much as men. By comparison, among workers 25 to 34 years old, women earned 89 percent as much as men, and among 16- to 24-year-olds, the earnings ratio rose to 93 percent.

One can hope with a growing parity in young women and men's educational background and work experience, that the distance between the pay of women and men will continue to decrease.

But even when women and men are in the same occupations, have the same amount of experience, and have the same amount of education, women are still paid less than men. Fact? Yes, see the summary below from the following sources:
U.S. Census Bureau, 2004 American Community Survey;
AFL-CIO & the Institute for Women's Policy Research; Equal Pay for Working Families: National and State Data on Pay Gap and Its Costs (1999); A New Look Through the Glass Ceiling: Where are the Women? Commissioned by Representatives John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) (2002):

The General Accounting Office compiled data from the Current Population Survey regarding the ten industries that employ 71 percent of U.S. women workers and 73 percent of U.S. women managers. In seven of the ten industries examined, the pay gap between full-time male and female managers widened between 1995 and 2000.

If women received the same wages as men who work the same number of hours, have the same education and union status, are the same age, and live in the same region of the country, then these women's annual income would rise by $4,000 and poverty rates would be cut in half. Working families would gain an astounding $200 billion in family income annually.

Pay equity in female-dominated jobs (jobs in which women comprise 70 percent or more of the workforce) would increase wages for women by approximately 18 percent.

Fifty-five percent of all women work in female-dominated jobs (jobs in which women comprise 70 percent or more of the workforce) whereas only 8.5 percent of all men work in these occupations. However, the *men* working in female-dominated jobs still receive about *20 percent* more than *women* who work in female-dominated jobs.

Women are paid less in every occupational classification for which sufficient information is available, according to the data analysis in over 300 job classifications provided by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.

In 1963, the year of the Equal Pay Act's passage, full-time working women were paid 59 cents on average to the dollar received by men, while in 2004 women were paid 76 cents for every dollar received by men. In other words, for the last 41 years, the wage gap has only narrowed by less than half of a penny per year.

Sure, you've come a long way, ba-by....NOT! Makes you realize why US employees aren't allowed to know the wages of their co-workers...it saves a lot of businesses a lot of money.

Answer 2

The answers will be many, as this issue has to do with traditional rules in society, going back to the beginning of time.

It has to do with various religious beliefs. Almost every religion teaches that the man should work and the woman's WORK should be raising a family and taking care of the home. Never believe that isn't work.

I as a Christian believe a woman should work at home IF POSSIBLE, as raising children and taking care of a home is work, work, work, 24/7. Children need more time with Mom and Dad then most get. The choice to work or not must always be an individuals choice. I believe if a woman chooses or has to work there shouldn't be inequality in pay.

Some businesses do pay men and women with the same skill equaly. Sadly there are about 50% of jobs that don't pay equitable and the only way it will change is for both men and women to vote and support laws that demand that two people having equal skills be paid equally. Equal pay doens't negate one person earning more because of experience and time on the job, seniority.

If you are asking this question for a class, you'll find that there will be many view points to consider. I hope a lot of people answer your question so that you can see how diverse opinions on this issue are.

Answer 3

G R E A T ! ! ! ... I gave you a STAR !!! JUNIOR Senator Obama's Supporters do want to see, hear, and / or try to understand "personal responsibilty" !!! IT .. IS .. People LIVING BEYOND THEIR MEANS !!! I do not live beyond my means. I am a single-father that is NOT getting support !! I do NOT drive a gas guzzler to "have a nice ride". I did NOT buy a house that "I knew that I could NOT afford". . And ... I would like to add a short story too !!! OUR TAX SYSTEM EXPLAINED.... Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this: The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. The fifth would pay $1. The sixth would pay $3. The seventh would pay $7. The eighth would pay $12. The ninth would pay $18. The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59. So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers?How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.! And so: The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings). The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings). The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings). The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings). The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings). The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings). Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. 'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!' 'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!' 'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!' The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill! And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier. For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible. .

Answer 4

Equity is only part of the problem. Much of the variance is based on the fact that women do not sacrifice their whole lives to a career, but have a better balance in life. This has been know for some time and it was discovered by women researchers. So why the lag in knowledge? Could it be ideological?

Answer 5

Another myth being passed off as fact. Women with equal education, experience and qualifications in the same job in the same company earn the same money as men. So... a female teacher with 5 years seniority will earn just as much as a male teacher with 5 years seniority.
Despite this, the average woman earns less than the average man. Not because of any "patriarchial conspiracy to keep the woman down", but because men and women enter different careers. Women tend towards social sciences (teaching, nursing, social work, etc...) which is relatively lower paying. Men tend towards the trades and more professional careers which pay higher. The question should be why don't more women choose to enter professions which offer higher salaries?
Finally, if I could get away with paying women 75% less, why would I hire any men?

Answer 6

This country was built upon inequality of race and gender. No matter how hard people want to deny this...history tells the tale of the plight of the Native Americans, immigrants once the country was settled, to the Mexican Americans and slaves in the antebellum civil war.

Answer 7

"Happy Bullet" is wrong. The research I have done verifies the existance of the wage gap, which compares the salaries of men and women with the same qualifications, equal amount of work over the same time period, and equal education level.

Answer 8

Like the Godfather of Soul ,James Brown used to sing...
THIS IS A MAN'S WORLD.........but as he continues "it wouldn't be nothin, nothin....without a woman or a girl !'

Men own everything, men are the power, men's rtraditions of being the leader, head of family, captain of industry etc.. haave entitled them to the things that they perceive they own..........it's a biological, anthropological , truism.......doesn't make it right ...it's just true......

Answer 9

Sad but true. I think it has a lot to do with religion and history. Women had been always look at as the 'weak' sex, which isn't true. Again, I just find it sad. Oh, and don't listen to some of the morons who answered your question, they are not worth it.

Answer 10

It's not even true. It's been debunked around a million times.

The ratio is taken from lifelong earnings. Ie. women work less over their lifetime so get paid less.

There are LAWS. L.A.W.S. that ensure equal pay for equal work. It is against the L.A.W. to disregard them.

Welcome to the world of feminists peddling blatant lies to stir up hate and people being dumb enough to believe them.

Answer 11

Of course it is true. I only hope the book explained the 'whys' of this phenomenon, so you understand what the true reasons for this are.