Society has pushed and shoved women into specific occupations for decades by implying that men and women are both important in the workforce, but in different ways. We have been told that both genders have something to bring to the table, utilizing our gendered traits to their highest potential. The most obvious example of this strategic myth is the occupation of teaching. Throughout history we women have been told that we are innately nurturing because of our gift of child bearing, and therefore, are natural teachers. Although many women are incredible teachers, it is not because of their femininity, but rather their possession of the individual characteristics and skills needed to be an exemplarily teacher. Today we still struggle with the issue of women being limited to “traditionally female jobs” whether or not these jobs are actually right for women as individuals.
While digging up research about women in the workforce, I was not very surprised by the number of women working in traditionally-female occupations. What was shocking though was the information I found out about their wages. Amazingly enough, the information I learned from the article, The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation by Ariane Hegewisch, Claudia Williams and Amber Henderson, was worse than I had even expected. In elementary and high school teaching jobs that are composed of 80.9% females, (without a doubt a female-dominated job) a man makes on average $1,024 a week compared to a woman that makes $931. Within the occupations of secretaries and administrative assistants, made up of 95.7% females, a man makes $725 a week compared to the $657 a week that a woman makes. On average, that ends up being a $3,436 difference over a year span. As if being limited to certain roles for decades wasn’t restricting enough, now I have been informed that men are making more in the roles that were supposed to be designed for women! These pay discrepancies imply that men are more deserving than women in any occupation.
Although the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was a great achievement for women allowing them to more easily challenge pay-discrimination, there is still much more work to be done! Equal pay is an issue that affects all angles of women’s empowerment. It symbolizes the worth of women being devalued, when we are in fact a body of people that is anything but undeserving! According to The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation, “If the pace of change in the annual earning’s ratio continued at the same rate as it has since 1960, it will take another 45 years, until 2056 for men and women to reach parity.” I showed that statistic to my mom and she said, “I want to be alive in a time when women and men make the same amount of money for the same work!” Let’s speed up the process so that we can all live in a time where women are appreciated for all of the wonderful and diverse skills that we bring to the table!
One way to speed up this process is getting more women into positions of political power. According to a Brown Policy Report titled Why Don’t Women Run for Office?, sampling men and women from the top four professions producing political candidates, “…men are two thirds more likely than women to assess themselves as ‘qualified’ or ‘very qualified’ to run for office. Women in the sample are twice as likely as men to rate themselves ‘not at all qualified’.” The first step in reaching equality in all fields is by taking it upon ourselves as women to claim a critical role in society and demand the positions and pay that we deserve as individuals. The issue at hand is believing that being a woman is empowering and not limiting, and fighting for that belief! We can all help by openly discussing the issues that women are dealing with and acknowledging that there are many steps that we still need to take to ensure gender equality. Don’t let pay discrepancies go unnoticed or unspoken about; if you are suspicious of a pay discrepancy make sure to let your voice be heard. Together we can reach parity, and I know we can do so before 2056!
On the frontline,
Adrienne
YWCA Economic Empowerment
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