THE GENDER WAGE GAP:& HOW NOT TO GET STUCK IN IT

Sponsored by the Center for the Education of Women, The Career Center, and the Women’s Studies Department.

What You’ll Learn

1. Why does the gender wage gap matter?

2. What causes it?

3. What can I do about it on a political level?

4. How can I avoid it on a personal level?

Comparable Worth: Refers to equal pay for work of equal value. Tries to resolve the inequities that are rooted in sex-segregated jobs. EX: Janitors and Maids do work of equal value and should therefore be paid equally. Equal Pay: Advocates for equal pay of men and women in the same position. EX: Male and female Janitors should be paid equally. This is the focus of the Gender Wage Gap & Negotiation Workshop.

Comparable Worth vs. Equal Pay

Measuring the Gender Wage Gap

The average American woman working full-time year-round earns about 77% of a man’s earnings

The size of this gap hasn’t changed in a decade!

Michigan’s Gap

• In 2011, Michigan ranked 43 out of all states in average female to male earnings ratio of 74%

• The average Michigan woman working full-time made $37,117 last year compared to $50,053 for a man

That’s a $12,936 difference in earnings!

Educational Choices Affect Wage Gap

Women bachelor’s degree recipients working full-time year-round earn 82% of what their male counterparts earn within just one year of graduating

Female dominated areas of study often have lower pay than male dominated fields

Bachelor’s Degrees by GenderArts, Humanities, Education, Health & Welfare

Science, Math & Technology

WomenMenWomen

Men

Average Annual Earnings One Year after College Graduation, by Undergraduate Major and Gender

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$48,493

$39,618$38,034

$31,924 $31,382

5514251296

45143

3863436208

0.88

0.770.840000000000001

0.8300000000000010.870000000000001

$45,582

$34,989 $33,180$31,015

WomenMenxx%= Women’s earn-ings as a % of men’sNo significant gender difference in earnings

For Example: Social Work

The raw difference in average salaries for men and women working full-time in a social work job is $12,045

Social work salaries by gender: Occupational profile. (2011). In NASW Center for Workforce Studies & Social Work Practice.

Choices Made After Entering the Workforce Affect Women’s Earnings

Out of those working full-time, women are earning 69% as much as men and are equally as likely to be married and have children

10 years after graduation, 81% of men work

full-time compared to 61% of women.

Moms with one child earn 7% less than women without children.

A woman with 2+ children earns 14% less than a woman without children.

The “Mommy Penalty”

Women & Social Security

Because women are paid less than men when they work, &

Often work fewer hours for some years,

They receive smaller Social Security benefits whenthey retire.

Discrimination Factors into the Gap

Unconscious Bias & Accumulation of (Dis)Advantage

Virginia Valian: Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women

•Gender schemas = intuitive beliefs about behaviors and traits, by gender

•John’s resume rated higher than Jane’s

Implicit Assumptions

Harvard research on unconscious bias

Test your own assumptions about gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.

YOU’LL BE SURPRISED how deeply bias is ingrained in all of us!

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/takeatest.html

What Can YOU Do to Create Change?

Write an editorial, blog or social media post

Stand Up for Pay Equity

house.gov senate.gov pay-equity.org/cando-

indiv.html

action.citizen.org/pickMedia.jsp?letter_KEY=199

Tell Congress to support Paycheck Fairness Act

Create Awareness

Organize an online petition to show high level support for pay equity legislation. Change.org is easy & free to use!

Use Social Media Post a Facebook status or Tweet to

create awareness about the wage gap.

Avoiding the Pay Gap on a Personal Level

• Consider long-term financial implications of career & family choices you make

• Seek out union jobs, which typically offer better pay & benefits

• Develop negotiation skills to ask for higher pay & other resources