A Historical Perspective: The Wage Gap

1598 Words4 Pages

For several decades, most American women occupied a supportive, home oriented role within society, outside of the workplace. However, as the mid-twentieth century approached a gender role paradigm occurred. The sequence of the departure of men for war, the need to fill employment for a growing economy, a handful of critical legal cases, the Black Civil Rights movement seen and heard around the nation, all greatly influenced and demanded social change for human and women’s rights. This momentous period began a social movement known as feminism and introduced a coin phrase known in and outside of the workplace as the “wage-gap.” According to Merriam -Webster (2012), the wage gap is defined as “a statistical indicator often used as an index of the status of women’s earnings to men’s.” Often expressed as a percentage or divided into median annual earnings, the wage gap seeks to define and distinguish men and women’s salaries. While the wage gap was a term first introduced in the early 1940’s, the twenty-first century progress of women’s rights, specific to equal earnings between men and woman, is relevant today and remains greatly influenced by specific historical events. This paper will examine the cultural context of employment for white, middle-class, American women from the early 1920’s to present. Exploring the progression and integration of women into the workforce, detailing the forces and influences for change and examining critical court rulings, this paper will offer a perspective of the imeragey taken from the author. It is believed by the author that the feminist movement in many ways parallels the struggles faced by African Americans in the US during the same time period. The authors will offer ideas on where the pro... ... middle of paper ... ...izational support for women's advancement and turnover intentions: The mediating role of job and employer satisfaction. Women in Management Review, 21(8), 643-661. Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). Critical Race Theory in Education. The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Education, 110. Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean In. US Census Bureau (2012). Gender Pay Gap by State and Congressional District, Retrieved March 1, 2014 from the World Wide Web http://www.aauw.org/resource/gender-pay-gap-by-state-and-congressional-district/ Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved February 28, 2013 from http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/ Wood, G. (2008). Gender stereotypical attitudes: past, present and future influences on women's career advancement. Equal Opportunities International, 27(7), 613-628 http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/civil-rights-movement-overview

Show More
Related

  • A Modern Division of Labor and Gender Norms

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iversen, Torben and Frances Rosenbluth. Women, Work, and Power: The Political Economy of Gender Inequality. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. Kindle E-Book.

    Read More

  • What Is June Sochen's Frontier Women: A Model For Women?

    1812 Words  | 4 Pages

    In current political issues, the presence of inequality between men and women causes tension throughout the general public. Although it may appear as a recent debate, the movement towards feminine equality began before the twentieth century. The establishment of communities on the American frontier was enriched by the presence and actions of women. However, intricate careers were scarce for female employees. This was due to the east coast stereotypes about women following the wagon trains out west. Because the new terrain also lacked development, the inability to hold high-paying positions in law firms or hospitals presented difficulty to establish permanent settlements. In other words, these women met harsh struggles and criticism face to

    Read More

  • Women: A History of Misrepresentation

    2642 Words  | 6 Pages

    Crossing the boundaries of race, class, region and religion, the history of American women seeks to illuminate the multifaceted, public and private lives of women who may otherwise go misunderstood or completely unrecognized. In the course of this study, the following four themes have been found to characterize the shared experiences of generations of women: the construction of gender and gender spheres, housewives v. working women, mixed signals, and the legitimization of feminism. Placed within the context of our own patriarchal society the acknowledgment of the proceeding themes and subsequent scenarios, failures and accomplishments will help contemporary persons understand where we have been, where we are now, and where we could go.

    Read More

  • Has Feminism Benefited the American Society?

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Feminism has transferred an impact on the American society. Some of the benefits include restructured views on careers, schooling, and privileges women obtain. The women’s movement was the main triumphant movement of the 1960s and 1970s (Epstein 125). However, without the victory of the movement nothing would be the same as it is these days. In conclusion, women vision themselves differently now then what they did thirty years ago (Epstein 125).

    Read More

  • Evolution of Women's Roles in 20th Century America

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    A primary historical force in influencing the changing roles of women was progressivism which had far reaching political and social effects on the lives of American women. The Progressive Era, 1900-1920, was a time of change; an explosive growth in urbanisation and industrialisation. By 1920 the American urban population was over 50% with millions working in factories where they faced long hours, low pay and dangerous working conditions. Meanwhile the urban middle class expanded rapidly, posing opportunity for education and work for women. In 1920, 8 million women were working for wages. For white women, jobs expanded; 25% of women were office workers or typewriters and just 15% worked in domestic services. .” It was these privileged middle class women that looked to correct the ‘evils’ of rapid industrial expansion seeing the harsh conditions of women and childr...

    Read More

  • Essay On Glass Ceiling

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is constant talk of the “glass ceiling” and the inequality of women in the work place. When these topics come up, they are often associated with negative connotations and with a radical feminist approach. Instead of pointing out the disparity of American women in the work place, this paper will focus on the advancements women have made, and show that although there still may be a wage gap and glass ceiling, it is not as drastic as it is more often made out to be.

    Read More

  • Dbq Gender Equality

    266 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the past couple decades our society has taken enormous leaps in providing equality for women. The major turning point for gender equality was August of 1920 when the 19th amendment was passed, giving women in America the right to vote. During the 1800’s ideas of equality amongst citizens became more prominent and would eventually lead to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Nevertheless before this time in many cases women were viewed as objects belonging to men. They had no legal right to property, they could not vote, many women at this time received little to no academic education, and women were also expected to stay at home raise kids and do other things such as clean and cook. After the Civil War more and more women started to join the workforce.

    Read More

  • Unequal Pay Inequality

    285 Words  | 1 Pages

    The wage gap is defined as the relative difference in the average hourly earnings of women and men within the economy as a whole (ABC). The wage gap is not a new issue, it has been a prevalent part of our culture since women have been accepted into the workforce. However, throughout modern history some action has been taken to alleviate the strain of unequal pay. For example, The Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963 and since then the gender pay gap has been gradually closing. (ZAP) Despite the act being signed, women still face discrimination and inequality in regards to their wages from the moment they graduate college. Female college graduates on average make around 29 percent less than male graduates. (DAD) This inequality doesn't correspond

    Read More

  • Women's Roles In The 1920s Essay

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Great War and the huge amount of men that were deployed created the need to employ women in hospitals, factories, and offices. When the war ended the women would return home or do more traditional jobs such as teaching or shop work. “Also in the 1920s the number of women working raised by fifty percent.” They usually didn’t work if they were married because they were still sticking to the role of being stay at home moms while the husband worked and took care of the family financially. But among the single women there was a huge increase in employment. “Women were still not getting payed near as equally as men and were expected to quit their jobs if they married or pregnant.” Although women were still not getting payed as equally it was still a huge change for the women's

    Read More

  • Gender Wage Inequality

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    One cannot begin the discussion of the gender pay gap without defining it. Simply put, the gender pay gap is the inequality between men and women's wages. The gender pay gap is a constant international problem, in which women are paid, on average, less than that of their male counterparts. As to whether gender pay gap still exists, its exactness fluctuates depending on numerous factors such as professional status, country and regional location, gender, and age. In regards to gender, in some cases, both men and women have stated that the gap does not exist.

    Read More

  • The Wage Gap Analysis

    1356 Words  | 3 Pages

    Each of us has heard about discrimination based on gender and discrimination against women. Why do we emphasize women's rights in the context of human rights? Because for millennia human rights were understood as the rights of men, and women were considered second-class beings. Social discrimination of women (from the Latin word - discriminatio - difference) means the restriction or denial of rights on the basis of sex in all spheres of society: labor, socio-economic, political, family-household. Social discrimination leads to a decrease in the social status of women and is a form of violence against her personality, and sometimes a threat to her safety.

    Read More

  • Wage Gap Sociology

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    The wage gap is the difference in pay, between a man and a woman, for doing the same task. Women earn seventy-five cents for every dollar a man earns. Sociologists, Robert Nelson and William Bridges, analyzed how wage differences are the outcome of  “organizational forces,” rather than the free market. This means that the market sets the price for work, leaving gender out of the equation. Economic perspectives say that wage differences come from reasonable employer decisions, rather than being produced outside of an organization. Some people believe that the wage gap is real, and some do not. Both sides have research to back up these theories.

    Read More

  • The Media's Degradation of Women

    1729 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although we feel that we’ve come a long way, women still aren’t being treated as equal members of society. Going back to the 1950’s, women were expected to be stay at home mothers and housewives. “This was also the era of the "happy homemaker." For young mothers in the 1950s, domesticity was idealized in the media, and women were encouraged to stay at home if the family could afford it. Women who chose to work when they didn't need the paycheck were often considered selfish, putting themselves before the needs of their family” (Daniels 2002)...

    Read More

  • The Wage Gap Analysis

    450 Words  | 1 Pages

    Doing the same job as my male counterparts and getting paid less? The wage gap is something I never truly understood until I got a job of my own; Although I don’t face this issue myself, I know millions of women do each year. By ignoring the fact that the wage gap affects women in the long run, ignoring the effects it has on struggling families which are dependent on the woman's pay, ignores our rights as humans. Therefore companies ought to hire fair managers in order to minimize the discrimination women face in the work environment.

    Read More

  • How Our World is Changing

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women were drawn into the work place in the 1960's when the economy expanded and rising consumer aspirations fueled the desire of many families for a second income. By 1960, 30.5 percent of all wives worked and the number of women graduating from college grew. (Echols, 400) Women soon found they were being treated differently and paid less then their male co-workers.

    Read More

More about A Historical Perspective: The Wage Gap

Open Document