Differences Between Men And Women Now, Equal Pay Laws In Place

Differences Of Men And Women Pay
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Differences of men and women pay
For more than 50 years , the US government has implemented policies to promote gender equality. Since the Equal Pay Act was enacted in America, women have made strides to narrow down the gender pay gap gender pay gap among young female workers. In 2015, women earned up to 83 percent of what men earn according to the Pew Research Centre. Despite the major efforts brought about by the equal pay legislation, American women are still fighting to make much money as men. Looking back 50 years, women still earn less than their male counterparts, there is a clear pay difference between men and women now even with the equal pay laws in place. The Equal pay policy have had little effect on gender wage gap.
The Equal Pay Act and Its Impact on Women
In 1971, the US Congress declared August 26th as women's equality day to show commitment towards gender equality. Prior to that, the Equal Pay Act signed by President J.F.Kennedy was meant to end gender-based pay differences (Cho, & Kramer, 2013). Both women's equality day and equal pay Act were significant steps made by the government towards ensuring that women exercised their rights and also thrive in the socio-economic sphere (Cho, & Kramer, 2013). Research findings reveal the difference in pay between men and women is still an obstinate problem in the US (Cho, & Kramer, 2013).
Before the Equal Pay Act in 1963 was passed, women were earning less than 50 cents of every dollar earned by men. According to Milkman, Akinola & Chugh, (2015), the equal pay was enacted to give both men and women equal pay for equal work. The equal pay act was further strengthened by The Civil Right Act in 1964, making discrimination illegal based on sex for pay, race, color, national origin, age, disability and religion (Milkman, Akinola & Chugh, 2015). The Equal Pay Act came largely during the second world war when the labor board urged employers to adjust salary rates for women who were taking up jobs during this period to motivate them (Milkman, Akinola & Chugh, 2015). Although pay equality was addressed, it was not properly implemented by many employers at that time. Women have faced pay difference for decades and continue to do so, contrary to the Equal Pay Act requirements(Milkman, Akinola & Chugh, 2015).
Overview of the Equal Pay Act
According to the Act, women have the right to equal pay these include equal pay in several areas like contractual agreements(Cho, & Kramer, 2013). The act covers all aspects of contractual agreement pay, covering benefit packages starting from basic pay , fringe benefits like travel allowance, sick pay, company car , hours of work, access to pension schemes(Cho, & Kramer, 2013). Other agreements under the Equal pay Act includes overtime rate and allowances, non-discretionary bonuses, redundancy, severance pay, performance benefits , and benefits in kind (Cho, & Kramer, 2013). The right to equal pay applies to all employees including, those working full-time or part-time regardless of the length of service(Cho, & Kramer, 2013).
Why does pay difference still exist
Women have increased their presence in high paying jobs that were previously dominated by men more some in managerial and administrative positions. However, most women are paid less even when they occupy top positions due to several reasons (Gap, 2013). In one of the surveys in 2013, most women admitted to have taken long breaks from their career to take care of their families (Gap, 2013). These are some of the interruptions than impacts on their long-term earnings.
In the survey, approximately five in ten mothers at a certain point in their lives had taken some time off or worked fewer hours in order to look after their young children or other family members as compared to men (Gap, 2013). The survey indicated that only 24 percent of fathers had taken a significant time off(Gap, 2013). Policy expert argues that equal outcomes can be measured by pay that people receive, therefore, lower pay among women does not arise from unequal opportunity but from personal choices (Hill, 2015).
Women typically withstand the worst of childbearing, which is why married men as compared to women, work more over their lives. The division of labor within families also explains why single women work more than married women with children (Hill, 2015). With the absence of division of labor, single men and single women have comparable work histories and minimal pay differences (Hill,2015). Research studies show that most working mothers suffer from work-related consequences of having children while employed. In addition, women are perceived to have lower competency and commitment (Hill,2015).
Naturally, women face higher professional expectations and have lower chances of being hired or promoted as compared to men (Card, Cardoso & Kline, 2015). Several studies prove that the pay differences between women with children and women without children is bigger than just between men and women (Card, Cardoso & Kline, 2015). According to policy expert, there is an opportunity cost of staying home whereby women who take some time off to take care of their children when they are born face a penalty(Card, Cardoso & Kline, 2015).
Having taken some time off from work after giving birth is a decision that cost many mothers an average earning of less than 7 percent per child as compared to women who do not give birth (Card, Cardoso & Kline, 2015). Among lower-wage workers , the penalty can be as high as 15 percent as compared to men, which seems to be opposite (Card, Cardoso & Kline, 2015).
Theories to explain the gender pay gap
Economists use two theories to explain the difference between women and men pay, the human capital theory state...