Why Are Women Still Making 77 Cents on the Dollar?

Women are making 23 cents less than a man with the same job, qualifications, and experience. Since 1983, this gap has not closed and has remained constant up until today. Why is this the case? According to research done in this area, there are several factors that are used to explain why such conditions exist. In this article, we will discuss three of them.

Women choose lower paying jobs.
This theory is really hard to believe that women, consistently, all over the world, would choose lower paying jobs than would a man. If a women knows that she is qualified, experienced, and fully capable of meeting the demands of a position, do you really think that she would willingly choose another job that pays lower? What would prompt this type of response? The answer? Hogwash! No woman would willingly take a lower paying job even though she is adequately qualified for another higher paying job. Unless there is an extremely unusual circumstance, no sane women would take a vow of poverty when there are more prudent options available.

Women don't negotiate pay like their men counterparts.
This is also an interesting theory and more attention needs to be paid here because our society may have nursed this beast. Meaning, how could someone assume that women are less likely or able to negotiate their pay? Are women born psychologically challenged in this area? Or, are women nurtured to believe that they should not discuss their monetary value? Maybe the later could bear some significance and deserves a full article devoted to it. But I know one thing is for sure, women are not born incapable of negotiating their value effectively.

Women don't work as hard, after having children.
Okay, this one kills me! Women don't work as hard, as would a man. So much so, that the entire family structure is held together overwhelmingly by women. Women, overall, are usually responsible for the running and the maintaining of the family home on a daily basis. Women all over the world go to a full time job, then return home, only to continue their second shift as a mother and a wife. For at least a year, women on average sleep a minimum of 4-5 hours after having a newborn child. Then only to return to work and feel that their role in the company has been devalued. According to the General Accountability Office (GAO), women tend to make less money after having children. They make 2.5% less than women without children. On the other hand, men with children makes 2% more after having children.

American people have grown so much and have done so many fascinating things since 1983. However there still remains a pay gap amongst men and women since that time period. Women still have not moved past the 77 cents on the dollar to the man's earnings. Why have we not progressed? This article was not meant to answer all the questions because I'm not sure that I can effectively do so. However it was designed to spark debate within ourselves. If each one, reading this article began to shift their paradigm (mental conditioning), then collectively things must change. Regardless of race, gender, or religion we are all inherently free and should not be limited in our quest for financial freedom.