Gender and Income - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Awareness regarding gender pay gap was almost similar in the male and female young workers unlike the older workers among whom women were more aware of the term. Some elderly men complained that gender pay gap is not realistic and that the arguments regarding its presence are fueled by women rights’ activists and social welfare agencies. One of the respondents said that a man who is less skilled than another man and is thus getting paid lesser would not complain, but a woman who is less skilled than another man and is thus getting paid lesser would complain and accuse the employer of supporting gender pay gap. Many older female respondents said that while gender gap exists at all levels, it is only the salary in which it is the most apparent because it can be quantified. They thus suggest that actual gender gap is much wider than the one gauged through only gender pay gap. Also, “those who take a broader view of discrimination argue that the unexplained portion of the wage gap may underestimate the true extent of discrimination because all choices that lead to particular fields of study, careers, …are influenced by past as well as current discrimination” (Sussman et al. 538). The native respondents were more familiar with the term ‘gender pay gap’ compared to the foreign students and immigrants.
Three of the respondents were not familiar with the term. When the term was explained to one of these respondents who had come for higher studies to this country from Bangladesh, she was shocked and displeased to find that such a thing exists in this society as well. She said that she had come with very high hopes of establishing herself in this country after completing her studies and prayed that were hopes would be actually realized. Another male immigrant who was in the final year of his undergraduate studies and did not know about the term originally was somewhat ...Download file to see next pagesRead More