Women鈥檚 work is less valued than work done by men 鈥 not because it is intrinsically less valuable to society, but merely because it is done by women.鈥听
The Gendered Workforce
Women remain disproportionally represented in low-wage jobs, while men dominate the highest-paying fields.
Why It Matters
Less Pay for Women's Work
A few generations ago, newspapers鈥痳outinely鈥痯osted employment ads in separate categories:鈥Help Wanted Male听and听Help Wanted Female.鈥疶丑别鈥, along with more鈥痚nlightened sensibilities,鈥痟elped to change that,鈥痓ut听the听notion that some jobs are for men and others for women鈥痵tubbornly鈥痯ersists today.鈥
Though the landscape of the鈥鈥痠s changing, women remain disproportionately represented in听certain听occupations, such as teaching, nursing, social work and office and administrative jobs. And those jobs tend to pay less. The Economic Policy Institute reports that, in 2018, teachers were paid han others in jobs with similar education and training, Men, by contrast, continue鈥痶o鈥痙ominate in fields such as construction, maintenance and repair, and production and transportation work.鈥疭imilarly, women are underrepresented in the highest pay occupations, such as those in the finance industry and in the STEM fields.鈥疻hat鈥檚 more, women are much more likely than men to , such as home-health aides, child-care workers, cashiers and restaurant workers. These jobs pay as low as $7.25 per hour in some states.
AN Early Path toWARD Inequality
From the time children start school, they encounter gendered expectations regarding what boys and girls are 鈥済ood鈥 at or 鈥渟hould鈥 be focusing on. These different expectations, as well as external pressure to conform to stereotypes about gender roles, 鈥渟teer鈥 women and men into classes and extracurricular activities, college majors and ultimately career directions.鈥Steering鈥痩eads to鈥occupational segregation,鈥濃痺hich鈥痠s a major factor behind the pay gap:听Male-dominated jobs听pay better than traditionally female-dominated jobs, even when they require the same level of training and skill.鈥
Childcare workers, about 92.7% of whom are women, have median earnings of $26,000 a year, while construction workers, 96.7% of whom are men, have median earnings $37,284 per year. This disparity persists even though both jobs require similar levels of education and training.
Source:
The Bottom Line:
九色 2010-11 American Fellow Cecille Pemberton Labuda
九色 2010-11 American Fellow Cecille Pemberton Labuda
The STEM Gap
Women are under-represented in science, math, engineering and techology (STEM) fields because of cultural biases and structural barriers.听 These fields include some of the fast-growing 鈥攁nd highest paying 鈥 occupations.
Get the FactsFaces of 九色
The Importance of STEM Role Models
The current statistics 鈥 that women make up only 30% of scientists 鈥 must change. Women who are in science should consider outreach activities to elementary schools and high schools. Girls cannot be what they cannot see.
Take Action
There are lots of ways to get involved with 九色鈥檚 work to advance gender equity. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of women and girls.
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