The world we live in
When it comes to our society, it feels as if money is the only object that actually matters. We bases the pay for each job on the sociological importance it has. With a African-American President and many other accomplishment by women and minorities that should be proof that we are equal. This is not the case. On average women are paid about 20 to 30 cents less than their male counterpart, depending on the occupation. Getting a job and good salary is based off the applicants human capital, education, and personality. Which many believe is impossible to replicate a male that is equal to a female with all of these traits, thus why some may believe this is a myth. The problem is when those factors are accounted for the gap still exists. Believers in this "myth" say that women choose to take jobs that are more flexible when they are thinking of having children and those jobs are lower paying jobs. When females are socialized to be caregivers their entire lives a person can not blame them for choosing a job that would allow them to have this advantage.
In the years of 1963 and 1964, the Equal Pay Act and Title VII were signed into law to stop the wage gap and help women to be given equal salaries based on skill, effort, and responsibility. People believe the gender based wage gap is still a problem due to discrimination against women. Employers understand that if they hire a women who is around the "marriage age" it is only a matter of time till they will have a child and need time off. Instead they can hire a male who will not require time off and, most of the time, have job priority over their spouses. When parents have to stay home because their child is sick it is usually the mother. The United States Supreme Court has sent a verdict down to the states explaining that women can miss jury duty on the basis of having a child. This shows that our society believe the mothers priority is being the primary care giver to their child.
In 1989, the average disparity that women had versus men was about $120 a week or 74 percent of what a man's average wage but women report having an average of .15 years more experience and/or education. Jingyo Suh conducted a similar experiment in 2005 and found the wage disparity decreased by about six percent in 16 years. The trend in education and experience remained consistent but the men continued to work more hours than women. Jingyo does now know if the cause of this was due to the level of discrimination decreasing or if women are gaining more human capital. Within those 16 years, women have increased the level of educational achievement compared to women. He believes the gap is closing due, in part, to the amount of discrimination is decreasing because males are losing some of their advantage over women instead of females disadvantage being decreased.
With federal and state laws being passed and the gap is not equal we can theorize that this problem may be a structural inequality rather than a social problem. We as people are influenced through a process of socialization, a continuous process throughout life. Merton's theory of structural functionalism tells us that everything in society has a function and only exists for that function. These structures of society are the guidelines for socialization from whom ever influences you. When these social inequalities become a major focus for a group and people start to hear of it is when it become a social problem. When you implement laws and things do not change it is no longer a social problem is it structural. It is built into how we operate and expect things to be. What people have to do is believe there is a problem, realize one person can do something, and that it will not only help women but help our society. Families can make more collectively and be able to afford necessities. Women may be able to afford to live on their own and allow for them to make financial decisions on adding a child. Women who take out loans can pay them back faster, putting less women in debt. Women may be able to stop using social welfare programs to make ends meet.
In the years of 1963 and 1964, the Equal Pay Act and Title VII were signed into law to stop the wage gap and help women to be given equal salaries based on skill, effort, and responsibility. People believe the gender based wage gap is still a problem due to discrimination against women. Employers understand that if they hire a women who is around the "marriage age" it is only a matter of time till they will have a child and need time off. Instead they can hire a male who will not require time off and, most of the time, have job priority over their spouses. When parents have to stay home because their child is sick it is usually the mother. The United States Supreme Court has sent a verdict down to the states explaining that women can miss jury duty on the basis of having a child. This shows that our society believe the mothers priority is being the primary care giver to their child.
In 1989, the average disparity that women had versus men was about $120 a week or 74 percent of what a man's average wage but women report having an average of .15 years more experience and/or education. Jingyo Suh conducted a similar experiment in 2005 and found the wage disparity decreased by about six percent in 16 years. The trend in education and experience remained consistent but the men continued to work more hours than women. Jingyo does now know if the cause of this was due to the level of discrimination decreasing or if women are gaining more human capital. Within those 16 years, women have increased the level of educational achievement compared to women. He believes the gap is closing due, in part, to the amount of discrimination is decreasing because males are losing some of their advantage over women instead of females disadvantage being decreased.
With federal and state laws being passed and the gap is not equal we can theorize that this problem may be a structural inequality rather than a social problem. We as people are influenced through a process of socialization, a continuous process throughout life. Merton's theory of structural functionalism tells us that everything in society has a function and only exists for that function. These structures of society are the guidelines for socialization from whom ever influences you. When these social inequalities become a major focus for a group and people start to hear of it is when it become a social problem. When you implement laws and things do not change it is no longer a social problem is it structural. It is built into how we operate and expect things to be. What people have to do is believe there is a problem, realize one person can do something, and that it will not only help women but help our society. Families can make more collectively and be able to afford necessities. Women may be able to afford to live on their own and allow for them to make financial decisions on adding a child. Women who take out loans can pay them back faster, putting less women in debt. Women may be able to stop using social welfare programs to make ends meet.