Final Project
I am a hispanic woman. As a Hoosier, for every white male dollar, I make 73
cents (National Women’s Law Center, 2019). I am uninsured, I am around $250,000 in
debt and it will take me significantly longer for me to be financially comfortable in my life.
Why? Why is it that I have to work harder, for longer hours and overcome more
obstacles just to pretend that I am almost equal? Is it because I have melanin? Because
I have two X chromosomes? Or is it because of something else that I can’t comprehend
because I am “à lesser being?” À genetic “whammy” should never exist but it does and
the time is now to end this huge problem in America that is discriminatory pay. It is vital
to have equal rights to pay because there is no reason why genetics play a part in
success. It should be based on skill and determination alone.
This brings me to the other reason why pay gaps exist. Often, women are found
to work in occupations that just get paid less it is not because of race or gender, but it is
because children grow up being told or shown what occupation is “suited for them.” I
was able to speak with whom I see as à local feminist. Her name is Kathryn Sweeney
and she is a professor at Purdue Northwest. She has a BA and a PhD in sociology and
she has been active in social justice; participating in marches, being an active member
in an antiracism group, and teaching the topic of social issues to her students. She
spoke of while she was growing up, gender roles were evident in her home. The
distribution in responsibilities were unequal and having gender roles that were expected
to be fulfilled by her, since she was the first daughter in her family. She emphasized
how gender role socialization, the devaluing of women’s work, unequal opportunities
and discrimination are all factors in the existince of à gender pay gap. She believes that
it began, “In part the creation of gender norms attached to social production and social
reproduction (Sweeney, 2019).”
Because this ridiculous issue has gone on for so long, I am here to propose ways
to begin the resolution of this issue. I would like to see people within my region to have
àt least à smaller pay gap. My plan is to reach out to local businesses and ask for
information about their pay scale and how they determine who gets paid more and why.
I hope weed out the businesses that are already giving equal pay and isolate the ones
that need to be addressed. From there, my supporters and I can educate them on how
they can be more equal, possibly suggest training for hiring managers and how this
change can actually benefit them as a business. If need be, we may have to look for
