Gender discrimination is the main reason of gender gap

Gender is the main reason of pay gap

The pay gap between genders is getting bigger, even at senior level. Male directors are now getting paid 22% more than female directors, according to a new study by the Institute of Directors. (https://www.sodocs.net/doc/705966631.html,, 2007) in addition, Evelyn Murphy and E.J. Graff (2005) have stated that during a lifetime of full-time work amounts to an estimated loss in wages for women of $700,000 for high school graduates, $1.2 million for a college graduate, and $2 million for a professional school graduate. So, it means that for a woman will lose between$ 700,000 and $2 million over the working lifetime. Now there will give three reasons, traditional bias, limited opportunities, and family consideration to support the gender is the main reason why women are paid less than men.

Firstly, gender discrimination consists in the workplace due to the view of traditional bias. In the beginning, the major role of women considered as the private property of men in history. According to Women International Center (1995) it reported th at “Throughout most of history women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were regarded as women's most significant professions.”Women have been considered not only intellectually inferior to men, but also a major source of temptation and evil. For example, when Hinduism evolved in India after about 500BC, it required obedience of women toward men. So, women had to walk behind their husbands, they could not own property and windows could not remarry. However, in China, the status of women is still very low. In the past, Confucian philosophy preached women’s inferiority to men. Marriages were arranged, and a woman's responsibility was to remain married, no matter how undesirable the match. Divorce was not allowed or remarriage by widows. Symbolic of women's subservience was the practice of Binding women's feet. Introduced in China during the last Tang dynasty, this practice lasted nearly 1,000 years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, women had to bind their feet to be eligible for a husband. (Xie, 1990) In the early w estern, traditionally western culture still affects the women’s rights. For instance, Traditionally a middle-class girl in Western culture tended to learn from her mother's example that cooking, cleaning, and caring for children was the behavior expected of her when she grew up.( Women International Center, 1995) so, in both east and west, male children were preferred over female children. Because of the traditional bias, that the status of women is lower than men. At present, many companies refused to hire women, and thought that women wouldn’t do well in many works as men or women did n’t own the skills as men. There is an example of Professor Susan Greenfield in Oxford University. She is

known for her research into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, was given an honorary professorship more than 20 years at the university. That means she has the title but no extra money, her basic university salary is pounds 30,000. (Judd, 1997) and she said that one of the problems id prejudice of a sinister type, and women are not seen as being as competent as men. Susan has never been aware that she has been denied a job of her gender. So, the traditional bias that women are less competent than men is a factor of gender discrimination.

Secondly, the limited opportunities for women cause the gender discrimination to pay gap. There is a barrier that prevents women who are qualified from moving up in the corporation, it called “Glass Ceiling Effect”. According to Wirth Linda (2000) has stated that “Glass ceiling is a term coined in the 1970s in the United States to describe the invisible artificial barriers, created by attitudinal and organizational prejudices, which block women from senior executive positions. Whether this glass ceiling occurs in the workplace or in politics is essentially a reflection of social and economic gender inequality.” So, no matter the gender discrimination or the glass ceiling effect, it can affect the wages gap between women and men. The women are hard to get the promotion in the corporation and can’t crack the grass ceiling; the gender gap will still exist in the firms. The glass ceiling begin to form when women enter the corporation after college, they are faced with discrimination. In a first year job, a man will make approximately $14,619 compared to a woman who will make only $12,201. That is a pay gap of 17%, both of them have the same education and training for a job, will have a considerable gap in their yearly income. (https://www.sodocs.net/doc/705966631.html,, 2002) so, it shown that the glass ceiling effect affect the wages of women and the gender gap due to the gender discrimination. For example, In Boeing Company, because of the gender discrimination the women did n’t get the same paid as men and get promotion equality. So, the female workers suit Boeing Company with the gender discrimination in 2002. After two years, Boeing Company settled this problem with 72.5million US dollars. At the same time, Boeing agreed to change compensation methods and would increase the new positions. (Xianfa, https://www.sodocs.net/doc/705966631.html,, 2004) In addition, the limited opportunities for women can’t depart from the organizational prejudices. With the organizational prejudices, it not only paid less than men, also blocked women from senior executive. In the companies, the boss or CEO didn’t like to choose women to come to the senior management. Last year the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission released a report stating that only 7%-9% of senior managers at Fortune 1000 firms are women. (Velasquez, 2004) Most astounding, a recent survey found that less than 1% of CEOs see the development of high potential women as a priority. The reason is that they are women. I t means that in the workplace, the women can’t

get the same promotion even they have the same education, experience, and qualified as the men. The boss or CEOs choose men to become the senior management and decline the women; this tendency is because of organizational prejudices. Therefore, the limited opportunities for women and organizational attitudes and prejudices can create the glass ceiling effect, and with the glass ceiling effect, it can cause the gender discrimination. It would be detrimental to the women and directly paid less than the men.

At last, women would focus on the family consideration. Women in the workforce will have pregnancy, childbirth, and breast-feeding leaves. It means that women become pregnant the companies have to pay maternity leave and find somebody to fill the temporary gap. For small firms, it can be a significant cost. (https://www.sodocs.net/doc/705966631.html,, 2007) and the women take break from work means they are less likely to get promoted. So, during the women pregnant, childbirth, and breast-feeding period, the companies paid less than men, even fire the women. For example, in shanghai, 80% women be refused in the recruitment fair, and the experts said the main reason is the women take career breaks to have children. (https://www.sodocs.net/doc/705966631.html,, 2006) the companies which refused to recruit women employees said that the females will marry and have a child after several years, so they will affect the work process. Jody Clarke(2008) has stated that “about 85% of women have full-time jobs before they have babies, but after they give birth the figure falls to just 34% of those with pre-school children.”There is a survey from law of Peking University, it found out that during the maternity leave, 20.9% women be reduced the salary by the companies, 11.2% women be fired, and in the same position 15% women can’t get the same paid as the men. (https://www.sodocs.net/doc/705966631.html,, 2009) therefore, companies consider the benefits of the organization, women in the workforce is higher cost than men. So, women paid less than men, just because of women would have the family consideration.

In conclusion, women are paid less than men the main reason is gender. In traditional bias, the status of women is very low so the traditional bias that women didn’t have the same skills as men and do well as men. So, this bias has a depth effect for women in the workplace in today. Then, in the workplace women can’t get the same promotion and paid as men, because of gender and the glass ceiling effect still affects women’s wages. At last, the women would face on the family consideration. Due to the pregnancy, childbirth, and breast-feeding leaves, the companies consider the benefits so that paid fewer wage for women and regard gender as an excuse. Therefore, why women are paid less than men, the main reason is gender.

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