An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

Chasity Cerros, Edgar Alvarez, Jude Kyron Cordero, Celeste Borunda,

& Guillermo Barrios

The University of Texas at El Paso

Dr. Chowaing Chagra

English 1302: Rhetorical Writing

28 July 2019
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

Abstract

There are many beliefs that women have historically made less money than men for the

same amount of work done. This is an issue which not only seems to never go away, but also

never seems to gain the attention necessary for something to be done about it. In fact, according

to a study performed by TIME via SurveyMonkey, nearly half of the men who took a survey

believe that the gender pay gap is made up. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the

gender pay gap in the modern day, to bring to light the causes the gender pay gap and the ways it

impacts people, and lastly, to explore options which could work towards the goal of equal pay

for men and women.

An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

Inequality in the workplace is nothing new and unfortunately has become a normality in

the modern day workplace. From women not advancing in position due to gender, a factor which

is out of their control, to being harassed by coworkers or higher-ups. These are only a few of the

many inequalities women must face on a day-to-day basis, however, one inequality which goes

unnoticed most of the time is that of the gender pay gap. It is said that women only make two-

thirds for every dollar a man makes. When taking a lifetime’s worth of work, that two-thirds

difference in pay can equal up to $589,472 (Wilson, 2019). That half a million dollar difference

usually goes unnoticed because of how gradual the amount accumulates. The issue does not

affect all women equally though, it is shown that women of minorities actually have a larger

disparity in pay than white women (Eileen Patten, 2019). However, regardless of all the

statistical evidence supporting the authenticity of the gender pay gap, there are numerous
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

amounts of people who doubt the pay gap’s existence altogether and what can be done in order

to fix it.

In order for one to understand the gender pay gap and its effect, these four questions must

be taken into consideration:

● Is the gender pay disparity a real issue in our society today?

● What are the causes of the gender pay gap?

● Who is affected by the gender pay gap?

● What are some actions that can be taken in order to remedy this issue?

This review of literature will analyze whether the gender pay gap is a real issue and

identify some actions that can be taken to address the issue, as well as identify the causes and the

effects the gender pay gap has on the people who are either directly or indirectly impacted by it.

Is the gender pay disparity a real issue in our society today?

It might be difficult to search for remedies to a problem that it is still in debate about its

existence. Whether the gender pay gap is a real issue or not in our society is inconclusive and

lacks solid evidence to prove either point; it mostly depends on each person’s opinion and

backed arguments regarding the topic. Some may argue that there is a significant difference

between the rate men and women are paid. The uncontrolled gender pay gap, which measures the

median salary for all men and all women, shows that women make only $0.79 cents for every

dollar men make in 2019 (https://www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap#section02); this

argument may be used to prove that disparity in wages of men and women is an issue in today’s

society. The issue that the uncontrolled wage gap really represents is that women are less likely

to hold high-level, high-paying jobs than men, this leading to the opportunity gap between men

and women.
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

But others may refer instead to the controlled gender pay gap, which measures the

median salary of men and women with the same job and qualifications. This data shows that the

difference in wages between equally qualified men and women with equal job positions differ by

women making $0.98 cents for every dollar men make, thus narrowing the gap to argue that it is

not a real issue in today’s society.

(https://www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap#section02)

According to an online poll conducted in March of 2019 and revealed by TIME, from almost

9,000 American adults, 46% of men believe that the pay gap “is made up to serve a political

purpose” instead of being a legitimate issue. And the 24% of men aged between 18 and 34 say

that reports on the gender pay gap and claims that men and women are paid unequally are “fake

news,” which was one of the options provided in the poll (Steinmetz, 2019).

The gender pay gap could be an issue for public policy even though there is no clear

evidence whether it is a bigger problem. To better understand this issue, various causes must be
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

analyzed and taking in count beginning with what could possibly be some of the reasons for this

political problem.

What are the causes of the gender pay gap?

There are many opinions regarding the causes of the gender pay gap. It is quite difficult

to pinpoint the reasoning for its existence. The viewpoints on the causes of the gender pay gap

can mostly be broken down into three categories. Firstly, many believe that the gender pay gap is

a construct, made up by the media or by certain groups in order to push some sort of political

agenda. Second, some believe that this issue is caused by an institutional and social biases in

favor of men. Lastly, others believe that this is caused by the traditional family responsibilities

that come with being a woman.

For starters, those who believe that the gender wage gap doesn’t even exist can safely

find themselves in prominent company. Jessica Gebhart, after performing poll research, found

that “Four in 10 Americans (38%) believe the gender pay gap is made up to serve a political

purpose; this idea peaks at 46 percent among men” (Gebhart, 2019). After performing primary

research,very similar results were found. After surveying 41 Americans, exactly 17 (40.4%)

stated that they don’t believe that the gender wage gap is real. One major difference that was

found during primary research, though, was that 12 (70.5%) of the 17 people who stated that

they do not believe that the wage gap is real were male. Our survey was mostly among millenials

and people in Generation-Z, revealing that many young males do not believe that the gender

wage gap is real. With this information, two things can be concluded. Either the gender wage gap
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

actually does not exist, or the lack of awareness about this issue among Americans allows this

problem to continue to exist.

If the latter is true, then that lack of awareness cannot be the only cause for this problem.

This is where the belief of discimination as the major cause comes into play. The details and

intricacies behind this simply cannot cover all the bases of this line of reasoning, though.

According to an article on PayScale (2019), “Our research shows that gender and racial biases

and discrimination are both far from uncommon in the workplace. Women are often undervalued

for the work they do, are more likely to hold lower-level, lower-paying jobs and they tend to

stagnate in their careers.” As a result of discrimination, women are often not found in positions

of authority in the

workplace. The

article also states,

“Additionally, as

much as employers

try to position

themselves as a

meritocracy, we find

that pay decisions do

not reflect a merit-based culture. Employers do not value education/degrees equally among men

and women.”

Finally, the last claim of reasoning for the existence of the gender pay gap is that women

generally work less hours because they are obligated and more likely to attend to their family.

According to Nikki Graf, Anna Brown, and Eileen Patten, “Family caregiving responsibilities,
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

particularly motherhood, can lead to interruptions in career paths for women and can have an

impact on long-term earnings” (Graf, 2019). The truth is, a good majority of women spend time

away from work in order to care for their families. “The median length of leave among mothers

after the birth or adoption of their child was 11 weeks, compared with one week for fathers.

About half (47%) of mothers who took time off from work in the past two years after birth or

adoption took off 12 weeks or more” (Graf, 2019).

Once again, there are many potential reasons for the cause of this issue. Perhaps, this

issue does not even exist. Nevertheless, the topic of the gender pay gap can bring with it a

plethora of potential conversations for its causes and fixes. The diversity of opinions regarding

this issue make it something that can be and has been talked about and debated for decades and

maybe even generations.

Who is affected by the gender pay gap?

Women are affected by the wage gap to this day. Women with identical job descriptions

as men are overall still paid two percent less in the United States. This is a significant increase

towards progress compared to what it was decades ago. This is because of an increase in

educational levels and workforce experience in women over time. Within the gender pay gap,

there is a subgroup of women of racial minorities who are impacted the most .

The gender pay gap in the United States affects a variety of woman ethnic groups

differently. There are differences between White, Asian, African American, and Hispanic

women. White men have always been ahead in earnings from all women across ethnicities,

although non-colored women have a greater advantage in reducing the gap with white men than

rest of the woman in the minority groups. As per the Pew Research Center “white women

narrowed the wage gap in median hourly earnings by 22 cents from 1980 (when they earned, on
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

average, 60 cents for every dollar earned by a white man) to 2015 (when they earned 82 cents)”

(Eileen Patten, 2019). In 2015, black women decreased earnings by a small amount of 65 cents,

not as much as a white woman. According to Pew Research center “Asian women followed

roughly the trajectory of white women (but earned a slightly higher 87 cents per dollar earned by

a white man in 2015)” (EileenPatten, 2019). That same year, Hispanic women did not make the

same amount as the black women, falling even more behind than the rest. Hispanic women

earned about 58 cents which is much less compared to the other subgroups.

Women in a different ethnic group have obstacles in getting equal pay and getting

promotions in the workplace in contrast to white women. When examining the inequalities even

further, other important factors appear, such as age and even motherhood. Older woman struggle

even more with the gap. A report from AZI World of Labor stated that “The largest gap can be

seen over the age of 45, where women are likely to earn around 25% below male earnings”(No

author,2015 January 29). It explains that women usually select lower-paid industries, and work

fewer hours due to family responsibilities. Motherhood now contributes to the gap. “The

“motherhood wage penalty” contributes to the inequality” according to by Eunjung Lee and Joya

Misra of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Marta Murray Close of the U.S. Census

Bureau (2018, March 13). It found that the gap remained mostly the same over the past 30 years.

Research shows mothers earn less than those without children, and even less than fathers. “In

fact, men experience bigger paychecks after the birth of a child” (2018, March 13) stated Lee and

Misra. Their document shows that mothers are less likely to be hired, promoted, or paid as much

as their male co-workers. It is recognized that women with and without children have made

significant gains in education and labor force experience, and mothers may have even reduced

employers’ biases against women with children. These factors could mean that even if the
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

motherhood pay penalty remains, it is less than it was in the past. Yet the gap still remains, and

has worsened for mothers with a single child.

Even Though the gap affects women it is important to recognize that it does not affect all

women equally. There are subgroups of women that are impacted by the discrimmination even

more than white women.

What are some actions that can be taken in order to remedy this issue?

The narrowing, but persistent, gender gap in pay addresses some sort of discrimination

that women face and talks about potential solutions for these injustices. More specifically, it

explains the lack of available education and opportunity for women in the federal and

bureaucratic workforce. Rather than attempting to apply a blame on certain groups for the

existence of the gender wage gap, which focuses on the empowerment of women so that more

opportunities can be created for higher positions to be held equally between men and women.

This provides substantial information regarding solutions for the gender wage gap by discussing

what political and even educational changes must take place in our society to avoid the

prevention of female empowerment in the workplace. Some argue that action should be taken. It

is said to believe that the median pay for women is 29% less than men. According to Citigroup is

revealing pay gap data most companies don’t want to share, “the global financial services giant,

becoming the first U.S. company to agree to disclose its median pay gap on a global level”

(McGregor, 2019). This implies that companies are not revealing data on the pay gap wages

between women and men so that the company doesn’t lose employees. This has caused many

people to be unaware of the gender gap. Actions that people believe will work is government

interference. According to How to Decrease Gender Pay Gap in 7 Steps, “One such measure

involves requiring companies to release data on male and female pay ratios to the public.”
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

(Market Inspector, 2018) This implies government enforcement on the data of wages so that

these companies will fear to equalize the pay gap. Another way to act is to promote women

entrepreneurship, this can help break the cycle of lower pay wages and boost women morale.

According to How to Decrease Gender Pay Gap in 7 Steps, promoting women entrepreneur ship

would “help narrow gender gaps such as female startup rates, productivity, and profitability of

business” (Market Inspector, 2018) This implies that by doing so will improve women activity

and make many aware of what women face. In the Democratic Republic women led businesses

saw 50% leap in profits. (Market Inspector, 2018) This demonstrates that women bring profit in

business and many should be aware of it when discussing gender pay gap wages.

Conclusion

The gender pay gap is a complex issue which negatively affects women of different

ethnicities around the world. There is much data supporting both the statement that the gender

pay gap is, in fact, a real and important issue which should be discussed. However, there is also

data supporting the argument that the pay gap is not only fake when taking into account the

disparity in income when comparing equally qualified men and women for equal job positions

(Steinmetz, 2019), but also many men believe the issue was made up for political purposes

(Gebhart, 2019). The causes of the pay gap can be traced back to different arguments, some

being that it is a construct made to push a certain political agenda, or that it was caused by

systematic social biases in favor of men, or that it is a result of generations of patriarchal

traditions which happened to have a collateral effect within the workplace. It is also important to

acknowledge that the issue does not affect all women equally. Certain minorities of women have

a larger disparity in pay than others, especially hispanic women (when compared to white

women) (Eileen Patten, 2019). What can be done to end the gender pay gap is for governments
An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

to make the disclosure of the median pay gap and male to female pay ratios of corporations

mandatory in order to bring awareness to the issue.

An in Depth Analysis on the Gender Wage Gap: A Review of Literature

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