Think of a figure within your mind. Let this number transform into your salary. Now look at this figure compared to what your male or female counterpart is making. Notice a difference? This difference is that women only make 81 cents for every dollar a man earns, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The problem? Not only are women being paid less than men within the workforce, but current legislation is also being shut down within congress to tighten the wage gap in the future. In 2012, the Paycheck Fairness Act failed in the senate. Democrats attempted to vote for this bill, while Republicans voted to not even consider this action.
A little startled? We do not blame you. According to The National Committee on Pay Equity, the wage gap between the two sexes begins only one year after graduation. Some students may even notice this gap while partaking in a summer job.
If you are a woman, by now you may be concerned about your current salary or even a little agitated about how you or your co-worker are not paid equally within the workforce. Yet even as a student, there is something you can do to help improve the future.
The W.A.G.E. Leadership Program is being introduced at High Point University within the Fall of 2014 in order to help young men and women explore gender dynamics and to expose inequalities between genders within the workplace. This program will allow students to engage themselves in civic engagement, leadership activities and workshops leading them to receive the Leadership Certificate after partaking in this semester long program.
By exposing students to the wage gap before entering the workforce, these students will learn how to take on this continuous epidemic as they enter employment positions upon the completion of their undergraduate career.
Dr. Jenn Brandt, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and Dr. Alixandra Yanus, Assistant Professor of Political Science, are the co-founders of the W.A.G.E. Leadership Program. Both Brandt and Yanus hope to give their students a supportive push, allowing them to see a transformation within themselves throughout the duration of this program.
“I want to empower HPU students to recognize their own substantial skills and potential; too often we as instructors see these strengths in our students, and all students need is a small push or a transformative experience to help them see it in themselves,” Yanus explained.
Through this transformative experience, students will hold the opportunity to prepare for the future upon their graduation in May.
“Students will leave the presentations armed with information to consider the ways in which gender impacts civic engagement and their own future interactions in the workplace,” said Brandt.
All workshops and activities are free and are open to the HPU community. Students of all ages are encouraged to attend workshops and leadership activities to prepare them for their future outside of HPU.
The W.A.G.E. Leadership Program is making strides to provide men and women with a well-balanced education on equality and what to expect when entering the workforce. By becoming a part of this program, you will learn how to express the need for equality between the genders and will also enhance your leadership skills within hands on workshops.
Whether attending one workshop or attending three to obtain the leadership certificate, students are bound to take away a valuable lesson as they prepare to enter the world of employment upon their graduation from HPU.