For a while now, we have been hearing about the gender wage gap, and you might be asking, "What does it mean? How does it affect me?" And most importantly, "Why should I care?"
Well, in a nutshell, the gender wage gap is basically the finding that women are getting paid a fraction of what men get paid for doing the same work. Crazy right? Think about what you're in college studying to be right now, and how hard you're working toward that career goal of yours. Now picture a guy sitting next to you in your class, studying to be in the same exact profession as you, but the difference is that he is probably going to earn more money than you, even though you're working equally as hard. I can not even begin to understand the frustration and anger that women across the country could possibly be feeling with that in mind. There has to be something done about this inequality and I feel like as a nation we are slowly, but surely, bringing awareness to this serious topic.
Getting into the specific data that is behind this wage gap, studies in 2015 found that women are getting paid 80 cents per every dollar a man makes. To make things even worse, if we continue to fight for women's rights to improve at the rate we have been since 1960, then we are projected to reach equality in 2059. This progression has actually even slowed down a little since 2011, and if we continue at that rate, then we will not reach pay equality until 2152. That is pure insanity. My future kids won't even be able to see women and men reach equal pay until they are adults. I don't know about you, but I want to be paid fairly and equally because there is no difference between the work that I produce compared to that of a man's. We need to fight for what's right, which is the equality between men and women's pay.
A clear example of this wage gap is seen between the salaries of the U.S. Women's Soccer team and the U.S. Men's Soccer team. Earlier this year, it was found that the pay per individual game was $3,600 for women and $5,000 for men. With that being said, if the men’s team were to win the World Cup they would receive a bonus of $390,625 compared to a $75,000 bonus for the women’s team if they were to win the Word Cup (which they have more times than the men's team).
So why are the men getting paid more? They play the same sport, practice just as intensely and work just as hard to bring respect to the team. There is no reason for this divide and the women’s team has had enough of it—starting a campaign called, #EqualPlayEqualPay. This has brought attention to not just the unequal salaries between these two teams, but the gender wage gap in general, and that is what we need most—awareness.
Let's follow the lead of the brave U.S. Women's Soccer team, and fight for the rights of women. Equal pay is deserved between both genders and nothing less. Wouldn't you want to get paid without discrimination of what gender you are? Wouldn't you want your future daughter to get paid what she deserves? As women, coming together and fighting for our rights is easier with the support of one another. Let's close that wage gap and achieve equality, for good.
