Gender Inequality: The Pay Gap Between Men And Women

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Despite the great lengths society has overcome in regards to gender inequality, social issues regarding the difference between men and women still exist. Women in today’s society still continually earn less than men in almost every single occupation. Women were given the right to vote in 1919, yet in 2016 they still have not achieved full equality in comparison to their male counterparts. Gender equality related to equal pay is concerning not only in my own community, but the entire nation. Analyzing the earning of men vs. women reveal women earning only 79% of what a man earns in the same occupation. The issue at hand is shocking considering that women have transitioned throughout history, leaving behind the stereotypes of stay at home moms and have become CEO’s, business owners, and more. Inequality in pay based on gender is simply discrimination. Factors like education do not …show more content…

Ballantine defines the sociological imagination as “the complex interactive relationship between individual experiences and public issues.” Through this concept one can view a personal experience in light of large scale social issues. A women who knows that a man in her company who holds the same level of education and position but receives a higher stipend for his duties may blame herself for letting this happen. However, when she views the social issue regarding the pay gap she will realize that this is indeed not solely her fault. Ballantine suggests that individuals fail to recognize the connection between events and troubles in their life and the social forces shaping these events in society. 8 The issue of pay inequality amongst gender is not a problem for just certain women. Statistics show that a woman will have to work more in order to earn the same amount in comparison to a man. Sociological imagination shows that pay inequality is clearly a social issue in our

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