Due 12/10
Whitlee Erin James
SOCI 2013 SEC005
Sociology Final Paper
Gender Pay Gap
On June 10, 1963, the Equal Pay Act was signed by President John F. Kennedy
(Equal Pay Act of 1963). This act made it illegal to pay women lower rates for the same
job strictly based on their sex. The workplace has changed radically in the decades since
the passage of the Equal Pay Act, but what has not radically changed is women’s pay.
The wage gap has narrowed but it has not disappeared. Was this not the sole purpose of
the act? By making the gender pay gap non-existent, women would finally get the
equality that they so greatly deserve. By eliminating the gap, our society would take
another step towards complete equality, it would improve the quality of life for families
across America, and it would help out many single mothers who don’t get the support that
they need. As a young lady who will enter the workforce soon, this will personally affect
many of the people that I love and me.
Equality has become a huge issue in our nation this past year. It seems as though
every time I watch the news or listen to the radio, I am hearing about a new conflict that
has recently arisen. Eliminating the gender pay gap would be one small step for our
nation to accomplish complete equality. If women are finally seen equal to men, then
maybe it would open our nation’s eyes to see that everyone is equal. African Americans,
Caucasians, Latinos, and every race should be treated the exact same. Women of different
races are paid different salaries in addition to being paid less than men. For every dollar
a man in the United States earns, a white woman will make seventy-seven cents. An
African American woman will make only sixty-nine cents and a Latino woman will sadly
earn fifty-seven cents (Bennett). There are also many pay discriminations due to the
religion of the person. Muslim women are paid an astounding twenty-two percent less
than a Muslim man would with the same job. Same sex couples do not receive a pay gap
relative to heterosexual couples but they do receive pay penalties (Longhi, Platt). This
means that the job they have offers them less benefits than they offer heterosexual
couples. This could be an important factor in instances such as healthcare, insurance, and
bonuses. It doesn’t seem fair to me to not award someone these things solely based on
