Why Do Women Earn Less Than Men

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In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment have guaranteed women the right to vote. About forty years later, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 have addressed the inequality in income between men and women. But still in the 21st century, women generally still earn less than men. According to the Census statistics, "women still earned only 77 cent on the male dollar in 2008" which means they only earn a proportion less of what men earn in a yearly income. Because of this, April 20th (of the next year) signifies the day when women earn the same amount of income as men do in a year. Laws are being passed and enforced to target the gap between the income of women and men, but women still earn less than men. Why is this still true? It is unfair to women that they get paid less because of their gender.

One factor that contributes to the lower income of women is the field they work in. Women tend to work in lower-paying fields, but even the higher educated women tend towards two major fields: nursing and teaching; this then leads to the stereotype of what fields women work in. On the other hand, men with equal amount of education tend to work as "business executives, scientists, doctors, and lawyers" which pay more.

Even today, discrimination still exists within different industries women work in even though they may be working the same job as men. Other factors also affect the income levels of women like family because they tend to take more breaks and to take care of family.

Income gap between gender relates to what we're doing in class because gender represents the cultural and social sector of civilizations. The articles points out how gender inequality still exists in the workplaces in America.

I believe women should be treated equally as men if they are equally as qualified. Why should women still earning less if they are equally as qualified as men? How or what can we do to change the situation women are in?

Reference:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1983185,00.html

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Photos

We Can Do It!
While the men were out fighting the war, women back home fill up the job slots that used to belong to the men. They also participated in the war efforts during one of the most difficult times in America.