Monica Writer
6 min readNov 28, 2021

--

An essay on Gender Gap in the United States

Gender inequality in the United States is a significant contemporary issue that attracts the attention of individuals, governments, and nongovernmental organizations. The emergence and the development of the feminist movement in the United States is one of the significant factors that portray the severity of the issue in the country. Despite the controversy associated with the term “feminism,” the relatively high degree of aggressiveness portrayed by the women identified as feminists in the fight for the rights of other women shows a relatively high likelihood that gender discrimination is not just a narrative but a reality in the United States. Many scholars and concerned parties have been experiencing significant difficulty in a bid to come up with a comprehensive definition of feminism. Despite the difficulty, one thing is common across all the definitions-the need for need for equal treatment of all humans with the dignity they deserve for the fact of being human. Gender is one of the factors that cause significant division in the United States and acts as a barrier to the realization of a fully unified nation.

Frye (2010) is opposed to the behavior of raising the issue of men oppression when feminists complain about the oppression of women. She says that many influential men across the globe try to convince the world that oppression adversely affects not only the oppressed but also the perceived oppressors. Frye (2010) says that the citing of men’s inability to cry or the failure to portray negative feelings and experiences dilutes the issue of women oppression. She thinks that bringing about such factors when talking about an issue as important as women oppression forces the primary discussion into meaninglessness. Frye (2010) also thinks that denying that women are being oppressed is like saying that women do not have feelings or have can hardly suffer despite the mistreatment.

Many individuals and groups in the United States try to justify the gender inequality in the country. Some people think that the biological differences between the two genders are significant enough to justify unequal treatment in various spheres of life (Frye, 2010). Others think that the gender inequality issue in the country is almost insignificant and not worth the attention. Some people argue that the attainment of gender equality is primarily the responsibility of the parties the feel oppressed. For example, some influential parties in the country think that women can address gender inequality by working as hard as men to earn the rewards that men in the same areas of the economy get (Beauvoir, 1949). Some people think that the efforts made by women in the bid to achieve gender equality are as justified as men’s pursuit for other forms of fairness. However, they think that the world considers women’s plight more than men. Some of the approaches used by the people that fight for gender equality also seem to disadvantage men. For example, some people perceive gender equality as a social system characterized by men doing what they used to do in community setups that existed many decades and centuries ago. For example, a social system in which men are expected to portray resilience at all times and not to seek mental health support and related help is almost impractical in the contemporary world (Beauvoir, 1949). Social systems characterized by men being the primary providers of financial and not emotional support or cultures in which men are not support to show fear and sadness are almost impractical in the contemporary world. Such social systems predispose both men and women to suffering as some men try to resist such kinds of cultures. Generally, the growth of gender inequality in the United States is a problem contributed by both men and women (Beauvoir, 1949). For that reason, the attainment of the desired degree of fairness and stability calls for the support of every citizen regardless of the social, economic, and political differences.

Men, especially the white men have a higher likelihood of getting a job, being promoted at their places of work, or earning other significant forms of power than women (Fell, 2014). Women of color with similar qualifications have a lower likelihood of getting similar privileges and rewards (Sirota, 2017). The emergence and spread of COVID-19 has promoted gender inequality in the United States especially in the workplaces (Maxwell, 2020). The implementation of coronavirus containment measures such as the prevention of international flights to various global destinations caused significant adverse effects on market access and access to labor. For that reason, many companies employed many cost reduction strategies, including employee reduction (Maxwell, 2020). Women, especially the women of color were at a higher risk of losing jobs than men in the United States.

The gender pay gap in the United States necessitates the formulation and implementation of relevant policies by the concerned individuals, governments, and organizations. Frye (2010) says that the gender pay gap has been a substantial issue in the United States for several decades. Women in the country earn about 84 percent of what men of similar qualifications and job positions earned (Frye, 2010). The statistics cover the earnings of both the part time and fulltime workers. The report showed that women needed to work for about 40 more days to earn the same amount of money for the same work as men.

The persistence of the gender gap in the United States over a relatively long time is attributed to many factors. Frye (2010) says that work experience, educational attainment, and occupational segregation have a significant role to play in the gender gap (Frye, 2010). The need for gap narrowing is attributed primarily to women’s desire to enjoy the privileges historically enjoyed by men. For that reason, the bid to achieve the desired degree of fairness receives massive support from women and significant resistance from a considerably large number of men in the United States (Frye, 2010). Despite the significant increase in the number of women in the higher-paying jobs and job positions, the representation of women in the lower-paying jobs remains relatively high.

Gender discrimination based on almost insignificant factors contributes significantly to the persisting of the gender gap in the United States. A literature review by Frye (2010) showed that more than 40 percent of women in the United States have experienced some form of gender discrimination at least once in their career life (Frye, 2010). About 22 percent of men reported to have experienced gender discrimination. The significant difference shows that gender discrimination may have played a significant role in the gender gap widening. Frye also found out that about 25 percent of the female participants reported to have earned less than men in the same job at least once in their career life (Frye, 2010). Only 5 percent of men reported the same experience.

Motherhood plays a significant role in the United States’ gender gap. Organizations across the country lose a significant amount of resources toward the paying of women during maternity leave (Beauvoir, 1949). For that reason, some companies prefer having more male employees than female employees to reduce the maternity leave costs. Other pay lower wages to women than men to cater for the maternity leave costs. A literature review by Frye (2010), shows that women take more time off than men in the same job areas and positions. The difference is attributed to medical-related reasons after birth or adoption. Men spent an average of one week off due to childbirth or adoption while women spent up to eleven weeks per year (Frye, 2010). A woman that becomes a mother experiences many challenges that make it relatively difficult for them to meet the caregiving needs and workplace responsibilities. Frye argues that the degree of stress associated with the balancing of different factors is more significant in women than men in the same work areas and positions. The degree of stress associated with the balancing of familial and job responsibilities can be significant enough for women to turn down job promotion offers.

The efforts made by American women and other concerned parties in the country portrays the significant desire by the citizens to be treated with respect for the fact of being human. It also contributes to the unification of the country, a critical requirement for fair participation in the national growth and development. Governments, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals should join hands to address all the factors that contribute to the gender gap in the country. A sense of fairness is a significant motivator for all humans regardless of gender, race, social class, and other human identity elements. A woman that has a sense of fairness has a relatively high likelihood of achieving her potential in the workplace. For that reason, narrowing the gender gap in the United States will benefit not only the women but also the organizations and the country in general.

References

Beauvoir, S. d. (1949). The Second Sex: Woman as Other. https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/ethics/de-beauvoir/2nd-sex/introduction.htm.

Fell, J. (2014). The Toxic Appeal of the Men’s Rights Movement. https://time.com/134152/the-toxic-appeal-of-the-mens-rights-movement/.

Frye, M. (2010). Marilyn Frye, The Politics of Reality: OPPRESSION. Feminist Reading Group. https://feminsttheoryreadinggroup.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/marilyn-frye-the-politics-of-reality-oppression/.

Maxwell, C. (2020). The Coronavirus Crisis Is Worsening Racial Inequality. https://americanprogress.org/article/coronavirus-crisis-worsening-racial-inequality/.

Sirota, D. S. (2017). Does White America Fear Black Equality? The Economic Forces Behind Trump’s Win. https://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/does-white-america-fear-black-equality-economic-forces-behind-trumps-win-2572611.

--

--