Why Do Women Earn Less Than Men A Comprehensive Examination

The gender pay gap continues to plague the U.S. in a real and impactful way. This begs the question,Why do women earn less than men?’

In this article, we will tackle this question and seek out the factors that contribute to the gender pay gap. As well as this, we will look at how employers can take steps to close the gender wage gap. If effective, we will know what actions are necessary to eliminate the gender pay gap for years to come.

Factors that Contribute to the Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap refuses to go away. There are several factors that contribute to the gender pay gap, with some contributing more so than others. Here are some of the factors:

Discrimination and Bias

Unfortunately, discrimination based on gender still exists across many workplaces across both the U.S. and the world. Discrimination and bias means that women often receive fewer opportunities and less pay than their male counterparts. As well as this, employers will regularly undervalue women’s contributions. As a result, the gender pay gap can grow as these discriminatory practices persist and leave women with lower pay and fewer opportunities.

Occupational Segregation

Women dominate specific job types such as teaching, nursing, and childcare. Many of these types of jobs pay less than jobs that men primarily are in. Women also face barriers to accessing higher-paying, male-dominated fields such as technology or finance. To improve accessibility, employers and society need to break down gender stereotypes in an effort to close the gender pay gap.

Work-Life Balance

Women also do unpaid work such as housework or child-rearing more than men do which amplifies the gender wage gap. This impacts their careers as they lose opportunities for career progression. By achieving equal distribution of domestic responsibilities between men and women, it is possible to reduce the gender pay gap.

There are other contributing factors to the gender pay gap, but here are a few to gain an overview. Other factors include differences between men and women when asking to negotiate salaries, as well as a lack of workplace policies supporting women. Now that you know what some factors look like, we can dive into how gender bias and discrimination impact earnings.

How Gender Bias and Discrimination Impact Earnings

As we have already seen, gender bias and discrimination are major contributors to the gender wage gap. This discrimination means that employers can favor men over women in many cases. Whether this favoring is a conscious or unconscious bias, it is widespread across the U.S.

Discrimination and unequal treatment exist from the start of the hiring process. This is due to hiring managers and recruiters making assumptions that women are less competent and can’t fulfill a role. For example, they may ask inappropriate questions about family planning or caregiving responsibilities. As a result, this can make it hard for women to land high-paying roles.

Once women are in the role, managers may overlook them for career advancement opportunities. This gives them less access to resources to develop their skills and abilities. A result of this is an increase in the gender wage gap for different roles.

Over a woman’s career, the effects of discrimination will mean that they lose out on a substantial amount of earnings. In the end, they will retire with less wealth and financial security than men. This is the unfortunate reality of the gender pay gap.

Solutions for Closing the Gender Wage Gap

Closing the gender pay gap takes time and effort from a number of parties. From individuals to governments, there are solutions that can work on different scales. Here are some solutions for closing the gender wage gap:

Negotiate Salaries and Raises

One of the most impactful actions women can make is to negotiate their salary during interviews or performance reviews. If women don’t negotiate their salaries, it can contribute to the gender pay gap. Research what an appropriate salary range is for the position and argue why you deserve to be at the higher end of this range.

Promote Pay Transparency

Having pay transparency can help close the gender wage gap. Organizations should conduct regular pay audits to identify and address any gender wage gap that exists. By making salaries transparent, it enables everyone to be paid fairly and equitably regardless of gender.

Offer Equal Paid Leave

Providing equally paid parental leave for both men and women can help you to close the gender pay gap. If women take unpaid maternity leave, it impacts both their earnings and career progression. By equalizing leave, you can share the caregiving responsibilities so that it doesn’t only penalize women.

Legislate Pay Equity

There are many in place across different states and the U.S., but there is also room to implement more. Legislation such as the has done a lot in reducing pay disparities, but some argue it hasn’t done enough. As a result, the U.S. could implement stronger pay equity laws, similar to those in, to close the gender pay gap.

There is Still a Lot to Be Done

As you can see, there are a number of complex reasons why the gender pay gap exists. There are still a number of barriers that prevent women from being treated fairly and paid equitably. The good news is that there are some steps that individuals, organizations, and governments can take. The future is bright, but we must all do our best to make the gender pay gap a thing of the past.