The Wage Gap: Still Alive in 2016

Throughout American history, the luxury of being a white male proved greatly. White males receive the most rights, and hold an unparalleled freedom. Women and other minorities had to fight for decades to obtain rights for equality within American society. Women dedicated a lot of service and resources to the American people, especially during times of war. During World War II, Women served as nurses, worked in defense plants, handled finances, and much more. During this time, Rosie the Riveter was a cultural symbol-representing women who worked in the war and proved that they were equally capable of doing the same jobs as men. In 1943, women represented more than 65 percent of the workforce, yet they received less than half of men’s wages in the same fields. Despite the efforts made by women,  America has done little to return the favor by granting women equal rights, and equal pay.

The Equal Pay Act prohibits sex-based wage discrimination between women and men working in the same establishment. Prior to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, There was a tremendous wage gap between men and women.  According to The National Committee On Pay Equity, “In 1963, women who worked full-time, year-round made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. In 2010, women earned 77 cents to men’s dollar”.That is only an 18 cent increase within the span of  47 years. Even though the Equal pay Act was a step in the right direction, it showed very slow and very little progress to solve the wage gap issue. Many high positions are held from women.. Simply because they are women. How many female executives are there vs. male executives? How many Judges, Doctors, etc? Not that many. Even when women obtain higher education, in their respective fields, society makes it harder for women to obtain the financial and career goals that they desire. Every time women break barriers, society sets the bar higher. How does this affect our young girls? Society is telling them(once again) that they must work harder than their male counterparts in order to obtain the same position as them.  Men who hold those top positions as company executives, must think of their young daughters that they go home to every night. Every time society sets the bar higher and higher; it makes it harder and harder for those young girls to reach the feats that their fathers, uncles ,and brothers were able to reach, simply because society has given them that privilege since birth. Our social norms prove to lack integrity time and time again. Will you allow the daughters of the future to fall victim to a lingering problem America can’t seem to fix, completely and sincerely?

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Trump’s Presidency Impacts Girls in America

Almost a month before inauguration; reality starts to sink in. On the path of making history, and maintaining sanity, America took an unexpected turn and opted for Donald Trump instead of Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton might not have been the best choice, but she was definitely the better one. Donald Trump is a man who was accused of sexually assaulting women and has since described his outrageous comments about the matter, as ‘locker room talk.’ Donald trump is a man who has called Alicia Machado(former miss universe) ‘miss piggy’ and ‘miss housekeeping’. A man who is known for disrespecting women in a public and private forum, is set to be our nation’s 45th President.

During the election, there were many hopes and dreams that former secretary Hillary Clinton would pave the way for girls in the future, and become president. Instead, those dreams were shattered and all hope was lost once Donald Trump won the election. Many young girls depended on Clinton to open doors and break barriers that society had placed upon them. Hillary Clinton was a superhero that one could not find in comic books, a shining armor and a public figure that held much positive influence in our society. Hillary showed great bravery by running for president, and that alone, proved why so many young girls looked up to her. Hillary was brave; she was not afraid to stand up against anyone, and she was not afraid of what the media might depict her as. Many young women saw their future selves in Hillary Clinton, during the 2016 presidential election.

Make no mistake; Trump is not a threat towards women because he is a male. Trump is a threat because of the danger he poses towards women and other minorities alike. Trump is not empathetic towards women, or their values, or rights. This lack of empathy is illustrated through his stance on abortion. Donald Trump is pro-choice and plans to defund planned parenthood. He also plans to give the option of making abortion illegal, over to the states. In this case, he is clearly unaware and oblivious to the dangers and uproar that will arise from this. More importantly, he is oblivious to how this situation will impact women; disregarding the fact that it took years for women to have laws that gave them the right to choose(specifically, Roe v. Wade). Trump’s presidency will make it harder for women to receive: High-paying jobs, justice for crimes committed against them, and respect in the social and political spectrum of society.

The fact that Trump is president, shows the young girls of America 3 things: Those who are favored more in society, receive no accountability for their actions; Women are still degraded and unequal to men in society and; Even if you work hard and fight for your dreams, it will still be harder for you to accomplish those dreams, simply because you are a woman. 

A man once taken literally, rather than seriously, is set to be our President. Even if he realizes his power and influence; Donald Trump has no idea how his actions and influence have and will impact millions of girls in America.