My general research question will focus on what causes wage inequality for Black women. My specific research question will examine, if discrimination causes wage disparities between Black women and everyone else. According to various researchers, some of the perceived factors that may affect wages for Black women are race & gender discrimination, human capital, labor markets (occupation/industry), and/or education. I will be looking at all of these factors, drawing out the main points, and decide which factors are the most critical when it comes to determining wages, and/or promotions (occupational advancement) for Black women. I believe my research question is important because it shows how racism and/or sexism are still a big social problem and has become more institutionalized, which is making it harder to remedy this problem.
Various professionals have been studied social problems such as race & gender discrimination, wage inequality, and Black women’s experiences in the labor market, and the results they found are mixed. Some researchers argue that the underlying cause of wage inequality is based on differences in individual preferences and skills (human capital), and difference in labor market position (occupation, industry, etc.) (Kim, 2002; McCall, 2001; Woody, 1992). Other researchers have found that the wage inequality is caused by race and gender discrimination “double/multiple jeopardy” (Evans & Herr, 1991; Sokoloff, 1992). Then there are researchers who are right in the middle, who argue that discrimination is a part of the cause of wage inequality but it is not necessarily the main factor (Browne & Misra, 2003). All the researchers seem to (generally) agree that Black women are affected by race and gender discr...
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...). Has the Race Penalty for Black Women Disappeared in the United States?. Feminist Economics, 8(2), 115.
Lapidus, J., & Figart, D. M. (1998). Remedying 'Unfair Acts': U.S. Pay Equity by Race and Gender. Feminist Economics, 4(3), 7-28.
McCall, L. (2001). Sources of Racial Wage Inequality in Metropolitan Labor Markets: Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Differences. American Sociological Review, 66(4), 520-541.
Rosenfeld, J., & Kleykamp, M. (2012). Organized Labor and Racial Wage Inequality in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 117(5), 1460-1502.
Sokoloff, N. J. (1992). Black women and white women in the professions: Occupational segregation by race and gender, 1960-1980. New York. London: Routledge.
Woody, B. (1992). Black women in the workplace: Impacts of structural change in the economy. New York. Westport, Connecticut. London: Greenwood Press.
patriarchy is the main cause of gender inequality (40 marks) Patriarchy is a social system in which families and societies are dominated by males as primary authority figures. Due to patriarchy, females have been disadvantaged in many aspects of life including employment, family life, crime, health, education and media. This has led sociologists to try and find out what causes gender inequality. Feminists would agree that patriarchy is the main cause of gender inequality, however, there are different
aided in the prevention of oppression towards women of all races and classes. The efforts of these individuals are counteracted with instances throughout history to prove that these men and women are not treated as if there were an equal condition. There are many instances of discrimination still present today, and one place it is most relevant is in the workplace. Not only are workers separated by gender in their place of work, but also, many women are being segregated inside their own group by
currently taking place within its own borders; civil rights and the battle for equality have men and women of every race up and arms. Specifically, the fight against sexism is the most modern struggle in America. Discrimination against women is harmful to both men and women; it holds women back into a useless position and forces men to take the brunt of the work. Men are expected to work, but women are almost expected not to, and instead "be nothing more than dangling, decorative ornaments--non-thinking
the lower class are at a clear disadvantage when it comes to obtaining national resources. Social inequality plays an important part in the founding of the United States.This is a systemic issue that has been embedded in the development of this country. The power of corporations and the one percent has continued to grow. Lower class citizens have to face issues like income inequality, race inequality, and lack of government protection. These are just some of the issues that lower class citizens suffer
After the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, women getting the right to vote because of the 19th amendment, and the ever-growing freedoms to practice various religions wherever and however, many would say that today in 2015 we are in the most accepting and tolerant time in history. However, that doesn’t mean everything is okay and everyone gets along. Many groups of people are victims of discrimination every day and those who don’t face discrimination often try and justify poor treatment of the
Affirmative Action, A Social Issue The black rights and women’s rights movements of the 1960’s fought against injustice and discrimination that had been suffered by minorities for years (Hudson). In response, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925 in 1961, creating a Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandating that projects financed by federal funding would “take affirmative action” to ensure that hiring and employment practices were free of racial bias (Hudson). Two more executive
A topic that concerns me would be gender inequality as a whole. Gender inequality is the idea that men are superior to women. Women in society deal with unequal treatment when it comes to positions in the work force, pay, and portrayal in media, representation in government, sexual violence, and birth control access which are only a few things they face. Throughout history men have always had a higher position than women in many areas, while women even lacked basic legal rights like the ability to
poverty, there are many viewpoints in which one could see this complicated issue. Some people believe that poverty is due to the economy, and may discuss the way minimum wage affects poverty. A sociologist may see poverty as a state of mind and believe that someone’s willingness to work and put forth efforts reflects what may cause poverty. One thing that is be certain is, no matter your viewpoint on the subject of poverty, is that it is a social problem not only in developing countries, but is even
Every day, by going to our modest men's businesses, we meet and interact with the World. It is composed of men's in dark suits, driving large black cars, those who remind us that they are better because they own materials that we don't have and earn more money than we will ever see. Then, we meet homeless people, outside, sitting on the ground, begging for money in order to buy food, remembering that there is always worse than our case. In the midst of all this, we are there, the middle class.
Income Inequality: It’s Effect on African-American Single Mothers and Their Children. I believe that it’s not fair for single mothers to get paid less, when some of them are the back bones of this country. Currently the minimum wage, in the United States, is set to 8$ per hour. Women in general are only paid 77%, so it is appropriate to assume that through mathematics, women get a wage as high as $6.16. African-American women only get paid 64% of every dollar a man makes. If the minimum wage is only
expensive than processed foods (Knapton, 2013).There are inequalities in the health of different social groups including social class, gender and
1. Inequality became instrumental in privileging white society early in the creation of American society. The white society disadvantaged American Indian by taking their land and established a system of rights fixed in the principle that equality in society depended on the inequality of the Indians. This means that for white society to become privileged they must deprive the American Indians of what was theirs to begin with. Different institutions such as the social institution, political, economical
Income inequality not only harms us fiscally, but also affects our mental and physical wellbeing; therefore, it is important to identify the right ways to control wealth distribution among people. History Income inequality in the United States has increased and decreased throughout history, but in the recent years, the widening gap has become a serious issue. Income inequality is usually measured by Gini coefficient. According to this method coefficient varies between 0 and 100; while 0 represents
behavior as a symptom of structural inequality was replaced with the conservative view that ghetto-specific behavior is linked to ingrained cultural characteristics—“culture of poverty.” Based on this theory, conservatives claimed that federal programs guided by liberal policy only served to exacerbate the so-called cultural tendencies of the ghetto underclass, creating further problems. For example, they argued that welfare incentives encouraged demarriage and black unemployment. However, claims
it by taking out loans. In 1920s the unemployment rate plummeted because of growing industries and mass production causing the economic and business of the country to grow even though it was short lived. But people were protesting that the minimum wage price was not enough to live of off. “Between 1990 and 1920, large