Feminism, Personal Choice, and the Gender Gap In America
Why do Women Still Make Less Than Men In The Modern Day Workforce?
November 8, 2018
The “gender gap” as it is called, has raised real concerns amongst feminists and non-feminists alike. Today, studies exist indicating that, on average, women in the United States make $.77 on the $1.00 to every man. The parameters of the study included all women in America, versus all men in America, and did not take into consideration work parity or differences such as full-time or part-time work. Many individuals felt that the lack of parameters in the study immediately debunked it, arguing that when analyzing males and females in similar positions, the gender gap dissipates, falling within the margin of error. However, this leads to an even bigger question-who is accountable for this “gender gap,” and why does it exist?
As a female business owner, I often feel like a minority. Indeed, women are still a minority in the workforce, and even more of a minority when it comes to business ownership. Being the owner of a successful business requires razor sharp accuracy, overwhelming commitment, and unmeasurable sacrifice. My days are long, my stress levels high, and the responsibility often daunting. Yet, I choose to continue because, ultimately, I truly enjoy having a career and a life based upon achievement. This, however, is not for everyone. This then begs the question: Do American women, on the whole, choose less stressful, lower paying positions, often eschewing business ownership or higher paying positions, because of the heavy toll it can take on themselves and their families?
An analysis of the positions in my own company perhaps reveals a possible answer. While the majority of the managers in my company are women, the sales department is comprised entirely of men, save for myself. Why is this? Years ago, I asked my father why he did not have any female sales representatives in his company, of which he is CEO. My father, a proud “honorary woman,” who has championed me every step of the way in my career, sat back in his chair and answered me candidly. “Katherine, dear, I tried hiring a female sales representative a couple of years ago, but before she could start, her husband got transferred. I simply have not had any other women apply.” This then lead to another thought-my mother, a brilliant scholar and unwavering feminist, gave up her dream of being a librarian, because my father “got transferred,” and the town to which we moved had no way for her to further her education in library science. As a result, she made a compromise with herself, and instead became a teacher. However, this always remained her second choice, based upon the fact that my father, at the time, emerged as the breadwinner, while she stayed home caring for the children.
Indeed, my company has employed female sales representatives in the past. The last one employed simply could not make it work, primarily because of childcare issues. Sales jobs are typically low paying unless the sales representative produces. However, a successful sales representative often makes the most of anyone in a company-sometimes even the owner. Nevertheless, just like being a business owner, sales representatives work long hours, live under a cloud of stress, and sacrifice a great deal in order to make a hefty paycheck.
For many women, the jobs that pay a consistent salary or a consistent hourly wage, represent a better alternative than the uncertainty of higher paying positions. This is often because of societal responsibilities placed upon them. For example, if children are involved, women are often expected to be the family member retrieving the child from school, or the one to stay home if the child is ill. Women are also often the family member expected to monitor the child’s homework, and take them to after-school activities. These responsibilities, one could assert, is what has led to the gender gap.
Another issue contributing to the gender gap, is women opting out of the workforce entirely. I have several female family members and friends, who chose to be full time mothers and/or housewives, instead of pursuing a career outside the home. Decisions such as these, arguably, also contribute to the finding of women making $.77 on the $1.00 to men, since men in America very rarely have the luxury of making such a choice. However, the very fact that this statistic has been identified, means that women as a class are arguably hurting other women, albeit unintentionally, by choosing to make what they view as a “personal choice.” The saying, “The personal is political,” probably comes into play here. Essentially, their “personal choice” contributes to the gender gap, disheartening women who are battling it out in the workforce.
When individuals argue that women staying home is a personal choice, with little to no consequence on other women, one needs to look no further than “Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka,” 347 U.S. 483 (1954) where the Supreme Court ruled
"separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." As a result, de jure racial segregation was ruled a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.” Simply put, segregation in our society based on race is illegal. Consequently, one can therefore argue that segregation in our society based on gender is illegal. If a certain amount of African Americans decided to remain enslaved, would not other African Americans find this unacceptable? The argument that women staying home is equal to men in the workforce is arguably a violation of the 14th Amendment of the United States. Separate is not equal-ever. It is not equal in race, and it is not equal in gender. Following suit, tax breaks for families with a mother at home are most probably a violation of the Equal Protection Clause, and a society that demands women to be the primary caregivers is a violation also. Equal is equal-period. As my husband put it, equal rights means equal financial responsibility as well as equal suffering.
It is fair to say, for the gender gap to truly disappear, deep seated changes in our society must take place. What are the solutions? Perhaps tax breaks for daycare, or expanding public education to six weeks of age. Another possibility is businesses receiving tax breaks for providing on-site daycare. There are a plethora of ideas one can put forth that could help alleviate or even eliminate the gender gap. As a feminist, and as a business owner, I search for these solutions on a daily basis. However, today, in 2018, the gender gap still exists, and the struggle for gender equality is still very real and ongoing.
In conclusion, as a female business owner, I am in a unique position to help other women in the workforce, while also observing the societal forces at work that continue to hold us back. In order for the wage gap to truly be overcome in the United States, we must abandon the thought that women staying home is a personal choice of no consequence to working women, and start viewing ourselves as a class of individuals, deserving of more than “separate but equal.” Just as African Americans view enslavement as repugnant and a violation of the Equal Protection Clause, we as proud women must think the same of ourselves when a woman decides to eschew a career, for her own personal reasons. Equal rights for all means equal responsibility for all. Only when we as a society make this paradigm shift, will the decidedly disappointing gender gap truly disappear.
Comments
Post a Comment