Jiwani 1

Anusha Jiwani
HELA II
Rager-3
19 February 2015

Do Wage Gaps Exist Because of Women or Is there Another Reason?

The data about the motherhood penalty and the fatherhood bonus present a clear-cut look
at American culture's ambiguous feelings about gender and work, (Clair Cain Miller). The
nation's first women's rights gathering addressed a wide range of issues involving the unfair
treatment of women. There was such opposition to the crusade for equal treatment that women
did not gain the right to vote until 1920, (At Issue: Women's Rights). Women fought for equal
pay and higher education. One issue which is a source of recurrent debate is the gender wage
gap. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2012 women in the U.S. earn 77 cents to a
man's dollar (At Issue: Women's Rights). Some argue that data indicates that women are not
paid properly for equal work and some think it is a myth. Wage gaps between men and women
still exist because women have to work in industries that pay less than men industries, or have to
work less due to other responsibilities, and typically are not able to negotiate well, which creates
bigger wage gaps.
The first reason why wage gaps are an arguable issue in the world today is that some
believe women do not get paid properly because of the industries they work in. In some
places, in exchange for federal work, contractors have to agree not to discriminate on the
basis of race, color, national origin, religion or sex (Washington Post A.26). In April, when
Democrats pushed the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Republican National Committee countered
that, "There's a disparity not because female engineers are making less than male engineers at

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the same company with comparable experience. The disparity exists because a female social
worker makes less than a male engineer," (Vivien Labaton). There are, indeed, more women
in low-paying occupations such as social work and education, and more men in high-paying
fields such as engineering. At every educational level, women still earn less than men with
comparable credentials, even when they work the same number of hours a week in the same
kind of job. According to a Harvard labor economist Claudia Goldin, "There is a belief,
which is just not true, that women are just in bad occupations and if we just put them in better
occupations, we would solve the gender gap problem." (Vivien Labaton). Meanwhile, men
tend to make more than women in female-dominated jobs and advance relatively easily into
supervisory roles. Employers could help correct the gender pay gap by having more
transparent hiring, promotion and by more consistently using merit- and performance-based
criteria.
Being a mother is also another responsibility a woman has that can be interpreted as an
advantage in some ways. If you are a mother you have better problem solving skills and can do
better than women who are not mothers. "Women lose hundreds of thousands of dollars or more
over their careers. That means less money to make ends meet and achieve economic security for
their loved ones," (Linda Meric). Women see their pay go down with each additional child. Some
of that reflects mothers taking time off or reducing their hours. It results in mothers being paid 7
to 14 percent less than women without children for equivalent work (Vivien Labaton). Mothers
are less likely to be hired for jobs, to be perceived as competent at work or to be paid as much as
their male colleagues with the same qualifications, however on the other hand for men, having a
child is good for their careers. They are more likely to be hired than childless men, and tend to be
paid more after they have children, (Claire Cain Miller).Women who are mothers have

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advantages because they have better problem solving skills nonetheless employers do not
understand this.
On the other hand, many people believe wage gaps is the consequence of women not being
able to negotiate well. Women are less likely than men to ask for a raise, and they don't negotiate
as aggressively, however that doesn't mean they are less-capable negotiators. When women
advocate for themselves, they're often perceived as unappreciative. Studies have shown that
people are less likely to want to work with women who initiate salary discussions, whereas men
don't see the same backlash. The wage gap isn't necessarily the result of discrimination. On the
contrary, there are lots of other reasons men might earn more than women, including differences
in education, experience and job tenure. When these factors are taken into account the gap
narrows considerably--in some studies, to the point of vanishing," (Christina Hoff Sommers).
For many years women have fought for equal pay to close the wage gap. There are more
women in low-paying occupations and more men in high-paying fields, which is a reason for the
increasing wage gap. Women still earn less than men even when they work the same number of
hours, in the same kind of job. Some people believe being a mother is an obstacle for women not
being able to get the amount of money they deserve or even being able to work at all. On the
contrary to their beliefs if you are a mother you have better problem solving skills and can do
better than women who are not mothers. Wage gaps do not only affect the woman herself, it
affects the whole family. Due to women having to work in industries that do not provide the
money that they deserve, or being unable to work because of other responsibilities, wage gaps
are created. However, women in general are non negotiable, which is a reason wage gaps are
caused by women.

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Citations:

Coontz, Stephanie. "Women Have Come a Long Way, but Have a Far Way to Go." Fredericksburg
Free Lance-Star. 10 Mar. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Labaton, Vivien. "5 Myths About the Gender Pay Gap." Washington Post. 27 Jul. 2014: B.2. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

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Miller, Claire Cain. "For Working Mothers, a Price to Pay." New York Times. 07 Sep. 2014:
BU.6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

"No Place for Discrimination." Washington Post. 07 Feb. 2012: A.26. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Women's Rights." ProQuest LLC. 2015: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher.
Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Grading

Criteria

Description

Points

Content

and Ideas

Clear argument
Support uses ethos, logos, and pathos
4 or more credible sources used
Antithesis addressed and refuted

x2

10/10 Melina- argument made was

clear and good use of ethos, pathos,
and logos write a comment
10/10 arzina - great job for including
everything that was required
10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

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Organizatio
n

Effective introduction and hook

Paragraphs are organized around claim
statements
Transitions are used between
paragraphs
Sequence is logical
Conclusion leaves reader with powerful final statement

x2

9/10 melina - great intro/hookwrite a

comment
9/10 arzina- good intro
9/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

Voice

The writer connects with the audience

through the intriguing focus of the
topic, selection of relevant details, and
the use of natural, engaging language,
including the use of vocabulary.

x2

9/10 melina- good use of voice write

9/10 arzina - this is a good essay
that someone can relate to
9/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

Diction/
Syntax/

Conventio
ns

Five vocabulary words are used

naturally and effectively.
Writing is all in 3rd person .
Quotations are embedded and
cited.
0-3 Errors in grammatical structure

x2

10/10 melina - good diction, syntax,

and use of conventions
10/10 arzina - good word choice and
conventions
10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

Publicatio

n/

Appearan
ce

typed and double-spaced

Times New Roman; 12 pt.
proper MLA formatting; heading that
includes student name, instructors
name, class, and date
works cited page is included.

10/10 melina 10/10 arzina - good job

10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

x2

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