Recent movements such as the Occupy Wall Street movement have brought the subject of unequal wages to the attention of many. In 2010 college graduates owed an average of $25,250 after completing college. Due to women getting paid less than men (about 81 cents for every dollar a man makes) it makes paying off this debt a lot harder. Lower wages and an unemployment rate of 9.1% for college graduates age 20-24 in 2010 combine to make paying off these debts almost impossible.
The people who are fighting for this equality call themselves the 99% which is a reference to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz's study showing that the richest 1% controls 40% of the U.S wealth.
Question: Why do you think women are getting paid an average of 81 cents for every dollar a man makes? Also what do you think about Stiglitz's study; does it surprise you that the richest 1% of population owns 40% of the U.S wealth?
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I think women get paid less because we have been less equal to men even to this day. Not because businesses make women have less money than men but because the world has made it not a high priority to make men and women completely equal. Businesses do not find it that big of a deal because the numbers are close together. Also because maybe men might do more difficult jobs than women using their strength, but if it is because they do more difficult jobs then only those men should get paid higher amounts of money. For the Stiflitz's study i do not find that surprising i am not to sure what that means but those numbers are not shocking to me
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ReplyDeleteI believe that women are getting paid less than men have been because women tend to lean toward the lower-paying jobs. I think that women have the tendency to go into teaching or nursing jobs while men with comparable education become business executives, doctors and lawyers — jobs that pay significantly more. I could be wrong, but I definitely believe this is a contributing factor. Stiglitz's study does not surprise me whatsoever, and like Nicole the numbers seem very accurate.
ReplyDeleteI think that women get paid less because we are not completely equal to men like Nicole said. I don't think it is the businesses choice exactly it is just what happens. Businesses owners many not even really relies what they are doing but I think it is all because women are not equal to men even today when we should be there is always that stereo type that men are better then women and they should do the working and women should stay home with the kids. I also think that the Stiglitz's study is correct the numbers seem to make since.
ReplyDeleteI agree that most of the cause goes towards that women have always been paid less than men, but I also agree with Erika about women taking lower paid jobs. Many don't pursue high ranking careers and this often leads to them earning less money than men, who normally lead businesses and go for a high rank job. As for Stiglitz's study, I’m a little surprised at the numbers. That only 1% of the population controls 40% of the U.S wealth is a bit intimidating and to think that if something were to happen to this 1%, the effect it could have on the country could either have a very huge impact or just a minor problem.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question about women taking a lower paying job, i believe it is so because women tend to in my opinion to take jobs that fit their quality of work and therefore not pay as much as men were. Women cant do some of the things that men are able to do meaning that there are jobs that pay more than others and women tend to stay away from those opportunities. Now based on the Stiglitz study, I'm quite aware that this was the case for out country and are not surprised by these numbers. I knew that there were a few rich people and many lower class resulting in the small percentage of rich people(1%) and the massive amount of and lower class (40%)
ReplyDeleteI think women are getting paid 81 cents for every dollar a man makes because as some have said before me, men and women aren't completely equal. There are many companies that view a man as more valuable than a woman in a work environment. Even if it is wrong to think that one gender is better than the other, some companies still do it. I guess it also could be due to women taking lower wage jobs than men. You should get paid higher if their is a higher difficulty to your job. I think that if a man and a woman were to hold the same qualifications for a job, they should get paid the same. The reason for the pay difference is most likely due to companies not adjusting to the changing times, where both men and women are viewed as qualified for high-paying jobs. I'm not very shocked by Stiglitz study. Those who are rich hold a lot of the wealth of the USA.
ReplyDeleteI think that women make less money than men on equal jobs due to the discriminative nature of the American public towards women. Even today women are still being treated unequally to men in social, political, and economical statuses. It is not surprising that women make a lower salary than men even if they perform the same job. I believe that women should receive equal payments as men if they perform the same job, and their salaries should not be based on sexuality, but on their performance on their jobs. I am not surprised by Stiglitz study since we live in a capitalist society that supports the wealthy more than the poor. It is haunting to know that only 1% of Americans owns 40% of America's wealth, but the reality is that this is the fundamentals capitalism.
ReplyDeleteI agree with several people, i think that women get paid less than men because, like Erika said, women tend to go after lower paying jobs, such as teaching, child care, and nursing. However, I personally think that is slowly changing. I think that more and more women are going after what they want, such as higher education and higher paying jobs. The numbers from the study did not surprise me all too much. Its the way that our country works, and has been working since the beginning.
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