Activity #10 - Is the gender wage gap justified?

I believe that women should have the same rights as men; therefore, the gender wage gap is not justified. I support many of the statements of Hilary H. Lips who believes that the gender wage gap is due to the undervaluing of women’s work. In contrast, I am surprised by many of the findings of June O’Neil who suggests the gender wage gap has been created by nondiscriminatory factors. Although the gender wage gap has closed considerably over the years, a gap still persists and the rate at which it is closing has greatly decreased. There are a variety of reasons why I believe the gender wage gap is unjustified. First, I will explain how the undervaluing of women’s work has created the gap. Next, I will discuss the affect of time at work. Finally, I will conclude by explaining occupational choice.

Lips’s main argument is that the foundation of the gender wage gap is built upon the fact that women’s work is undervalued. Between all races, men always fare better than women. Even with similar educational backgrounds, men fare better than women. Also, with comparable jobs and experience levels, men fare better than women. Women push to achieve the same status as men; however, sex seems to be the only barrier holding a woman back from earning the same as a man. This is because much of women’s work is undervalued. I think a lot of this is due to social construction. From the time that women joined the work force, they have been placed in less valued positions. They are secretaries for the important male bosses. They are teachers who work for their superior, male principal. Society has constructed the idea that a woman should be there to support her male counterpart. Even in the less valued markets where it seems women should have an upper-hand today they still do not. “In all but 2 of the occupations in which women formed the majority of workers, men’s earnings were always higher than women’s” (pg 215). This proves that even in areas where women probably have more experience, the male’s work is still being valued more. Also, women do not receive the recognition that men do at equivalent roles. Lips explains that men receive far more literary awards than women even when it appears women have made comparable accomplishments. This proves that society distinguishes and values the work of men more than that of women.

Many people believe that since women have to put a lot of focus on work within the home, they cannot compare to a men’s work input and therefore women should be paid less. O’Neil explicitly states, “The main source of productivity differences between women and men stems from the lesser amount of time and energy that many women can commit to lab-market careers as a result of the division of labor within the family” (pg 209). Women probably understand that they are not able to commit as much total time to their work, so they may be more productive with the time they have to put towards their work. This could allow them to achieve the same accomplishments in less time then men are able to. I do not think that men on the fast track put in more effort than women on the mommy track; however, I do think these men are able to put in more time. Therefore, a greater amount of time should have no reflection on effort; in addition, it should have no influence on the total pay a person receives. Also, the amount of work women are able to do from the home has significantly increased because of the internet. Therefore, women are able to reach the same amount of total hours as a man who works within an office. She should be awarded for this, especially if she outperforms her counterpart.

Finally, some people argue that “the gender wage gap is simply an artifact of occupational choice. They assert that the difference in women’s and men’s median earnings does not reflect any devaluing of women’s work or discrimination against women. Rather, it is an accidental result…” (pg 215). Due to the social construction of gendered work discussed earlier, many women do not think they have the same occupational choices as men do. It is not accident; it is a complete set-up. This social construction is completely based upon discrimination against women, and where society thinks women should be placed. Therefore, the gender wage gap is directly reflected by discrimination. June O’Neil argues, “Women make employment choices that ultimately determine their wages” (pg 207). I agree that women do make some employment choices; however, the work place also makes its own decisions about you that also go in to determining one’s wages. Men are the first to receive promotions. Therefore, the employer is putting them into jobs that bring a larger paycheck with them. Also, some employers immediately put women onto the mommy track and do not allow them to attempt the face track. This prohibits them from reaching many career opportunities offered to men. “The expectation of withdrawals from the labor force and the need to work fewer hours during the week are likely to influence the type of occupations that women train for and ultimately pursue” (pg 209). Being in the college atmosphere, I know women pursuing a variety of majors from business to engineering or from forestry to communications. I do not know one of them who has decided on a major based upon the amount of work she thinks she will be able to commit in the future. A person chooses a career path because he or she thinks the job is a good fit and that he or she will enjoy the job. I have almost completed my degree in chemical engineering. I know I will have to put in a lot of work to keep my career moving, but never have I thought that I should sacrifice my career path because I might have to commit too much time at home. This shows that women are able to go upon the same career route a man is, but they still cannot reach the same status.

People will continue to disagree on whether the gender wage gap is justifiable; however, I think it is unjustified and we must continue to try to close it. The numbers show that men and women’s wages have come closer but the rate of closure has hit a plateau. People most understand the causes of the gender gap to understand why it is unacceptable and must be eliminated.