Unveiling the Reality of Pay Inequality

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Pay inequality is a great social injustice of the 21st century. In cases covering inequality, there is a simple way to test if a person is being treated unfairly: If a white male were in this position, would they be treated the same way as a person of any other gender, race, religion, etc.? If the answer is no, then more likely than not, the treatment is unfair. The nuances of any specific situation in which this test can be applied can be argued endlessly, but in the end there is no reason why a person should not be treated equally. Today, women are paid only 79 percent of what men are for the same work. The arguments used to keep the pay gap usually focus on facts that ignore the big picture and try to place the blame entirely on women. They include suggestions that women aren’t as competitive as men, they don’t negotiate for more money, they pick lower paying professions, they prioritize their family, and they are not as productive as men. This issue is not because of qualifications. The increase in education for women has not closed the gap. Even at an equally advanced degree, women make 74 percent of what men make, according to The American Association of University Women. The Census Bureau found that women have even …show more content…

Women typically make up 70 to 80 percent of all consumer purchasing, according to Forbes. Decreasing the spending money that half of the population has does not only affect those receiving the unequal pay. It decreases the amount of money that could be used to stimulate the economy. It hurts people in poverty and middle class. It hurts all taxpayers who have to subsidize programs to support people who are inadequately paid. By increasing women’s workforce participation and reaching equal pay, it could add $2.1 trillion to the U.S. GDP, according to Fast Company. There is no logical argument to deny equal pay to

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