Gender Pay Gap Discrimination: Evidences

Gender Pay Gap Discrimination Name Institution Date Gender Pay Gap Discrimination Discrimination against female employees has been experienced in many organizations across the world. The issue about women being treated differently from their male counterparts at the workplace is not new. Gender disparity at the work place has led to emergency of work related issues such as sexual harassment at the workplace, unequal employment opportunity, and harsh working condition for a certain unit or individuals among other imaginable injustices. However, this paper will focus on gender wage or pay gap which is one of the form of discrimination at the work place (Kausar, 2011, P. 15). The papers will evaluate the evidences for discrimination against female employees in terms of pay. To begin with, nearly any labor market in many regions around the world has a common view point on the issue of gender related divergence in terms of earning. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries indicate that by the year 2013, men earned approximately 16% more than women. A study conducted in Switzerland in the year 2012 reported that female employees earned averagely 23% less compared to male counterparts. The study was only base on private sectors. The federal government is the largest employee in any state. However, the policies and labor laws has come a long way to ensure that the civil servants receive equal opportunities and treatment as far as employment and labor related issues are involved. Private sectors are notorious in gender related scandals at the work place as compared to government sector (Palud & Desouza, 2011 p.16).  The report releases in 2012 by the Swiss Federal Statistical office reported that wage gap between female workers and male employee was approximately CHF 1,700. There is no enough or sufficient explanation to shed light as to why the gap is so wide. Data provided by various statistical reports suggest that the wage gap problem is experienced in almost all countries across the globe. For instance, the recent data released by the United States census bureau indicates the female employees earned approximately 82% less what male employees earned by the end of 2016. The World Economic Forum (WEF) suggest that compared to male counterparts, women earned about fifty seven percent of men global earnings.WEF suggest that the worldwide gender wage gap will continue to widen considering the rate at which gender discrimination related issues are rising at an alarming pace. The organizations recent report suggests that it will take close to two hundred years in order to seal the current wage gap between women and men (Palud & Desouza, 2011 p.20).  Gender discrimination has led to rise in participation of women in movements that advocate for equality in various sectors such as employment, women recognition as well as women rights. For instance, between the year 1973 and 1993, the number of women in United Kingdom who advocated for equality in the labor markets moved from 57% to almost 68%.the tension created by various labor movement led to creation of new jobs in which women were the beneficiaries. Despite the participation of women in the fight for equal employment opportunities and fight against gender discrimination in terms of pay, still female employees continue to suffer (Colella & King, 2018 P.74).  Regardless of frequent policy innervations in regard gender wage gap, still women get less in terms of pay as compared to men in various regions across the world. Gender discrimination in terms of pay has become a mysterious tale as many have failed to explain fully why the phenomenon continues to exist. However, through careful examination and observation of stipulated variables, the wage gap can be explained partially. In 1998 in the United States of America, almost 41.1% of gender pay disparity remained unexplained. Considering factors such as work experience, level of education, occupation, union status, and race as well as the industry, there was insufficient explanation to tie the factors to gender wage gap. Even with considering and measure the variables and controlling the factors, there is a significant difference in pay between the female employees and male employees that is unexplainable. Gender pay disparity can be associated with gender discrimination at the work place. The difference between male income and female income is what forms the issue of pay discrimination. Women are adversely affected by due to the fact that they earn less than their male counterparts. Women who are paid less than the male colleagues have difficulties in coping with an ever increasing in living standard as well as pension contribution hence causing many to suffer from poverty even after retiring. Women lifetime earnings are greatly affected by small earnings as compared to the males (Kausar, 2011, P. 15). Despite the failure by many organizations, economic researcher, labor and trade unions to explain the disparity in wage gap, there are some few reasons that can be used as an explanation on the same. For instance, salaries of both the male and female full time employees are determined by age. Full time workers income will tend to increase with age. Although the income for both male and female worker increase gradually with the increase in age, there is a point beyond which the pattern will change and starts to reverse. Salaries will increase gradually up to the age of around 45 after which it will be constant or start decreasing after 55 year of age. Gender pay slit tends to widen as the ages keeps on growing. The gaps among older employees are significantly wider as compared to gaps amongst younger employees. Research depicts those female employees aged 20-24 years in 2016 earned almost 96% of what men used to earn previously. A significant decrease in the percentage of women earners decreased from 96% to 74% of what male workers were paid. Educational level has been singled out as the major factor behind gender pay gap. The impact is felt most by the Hispanic women, black women as well as college graduates. Due to the fact that women are paid less than the male counterparts, this form of discrimination has made it difficult for college graduate to pay off student loans swiftly. Failure to pay student loans promptly will eventually lead to fines, extended time periods hence men are likely to pay less within shorter time span as compared to the female colleagues. The report by American association of university women estimated that approximately 2/3 of student loans debt in the United States is held by women (Colella & King, 2018 P.73).  The effects of gender pay gap affect all aspects of women’s life regardless of race, level of education, age, achievements or status however; the gap and income may differ considering the woman’s individual circumstances. In 2016, full time women workers who earned less as compared to white women or non- Hispanic women colleagues comprised of Latin, black woman and Indians and pacific islanders. Women workers within ethnic groups still earned less as compared to men within the same racial or ethnic unit. Education among other factors has bee...