How Gender Pay Gaps may be Keeping You from Providing for Your Family
Even in 2014, women are still a minority. While women are no longer expected to stay home and be housewives, the workforce is still not an even playing field between genders either. There is a significant pay gap between men and women across the United States. Additionally, there are statistically more single mothers than single fathers. While women are also responsible for the financial burden of supporting a family, many of which without the assistance of child support, the job market has not risen to meet the needs and demands of women in the workforce.
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Some States have a Wider Pay Gap than Others
Though the workforce has changed for the better since the women’s movement in the 1960s, pay has yet to come a long way. According to Forbes.com, Nevada, Vermont, California, New York, Florida, Maine, Hawaii, North Carolina, and Arizona top of the pay leader board paying women between 85 cents to 82 cents per dollar that men earn for the same position. The states that offer the least pay equality are Wyoming with a measly 64 cents per dollar, and Louisiana with 67 cents per dollar.
According to 247wallst.com, Los Angeles, California offers the best pay for women in the United States. The article claims that women in these three major cities make 91.4% of the pay that men make with women earning a median income of $40,777 in comparison to men’s median income of $44,607. In particular, woman in “administrative support positions, which (comprises) approximately 13.6% of the area workforce,” earn “a median salary equal to 102.9% of that paid to men.”
Single Mothers and Their Need for Equal Pay
Not only is the pay gap an issue in that women are being discriminated against, but women in particular may be in greater need of earning their deserved income. The US Census shows that just fewer than 70% of single parents are mothers without a cohabitating partner. Single fathers without cohabitating partners, on the other hand, make up nearly 10% of single parents. Moreover, many single mothers do not receive child support, and therefore must earn enough money to support an entire household without supplemental income.
According to the 2011 United States Census Bureau, 5,499,000 single, or custodial, mothers out of 11,767,000 have not been awarded child support or have no child support agreement. Out of the 6,298,000 custodial mothers that did receive payment, 3,150,000 are still waiting to receive payment in full. Though over half of custodial fathers are not awarded child support or have no child support agreement, the percentage of custodial fathers is significantly lower than that of custodial mothers with 2,643,000 custodial fathers in 2011. The percentage of custodial mothers living below the poverty rate is also double the percentage of custodial fathers who live below the poverty rate, with custodial mothers at 32% and custodial fathers at 16%. Though many women may have a greater need to earn more, they are still earning less than their male counterparts for the same position.
One Way in which Women can help Secure Employment and Better Pay
When it comes to salaries and the job market, men may already have the upper hand. One way in which women can help to secure better employment opportunities that offer higher pay is to expunge any offense from their criminal record. An offense will remain on a criminal record until the offense is actively removed, regardless of whether the offense was merely an arrest without a conviction, or if the offense resulted in a felony conviction. Even if an individual was convicted of a DUI as a teenager, the offense will follow the individual into adulthood, preventing the individual from finding employment in fields such as healthcare, education, and law enforcement.
