Recently, in a conversation with one of my guy friends, we discussed the gender wage gap. He makes a bold statement and says “If women are paid less, then why don’t companies just hire all women.” He then followed up his question with the statement “The gender gap does not exist and only continues to exist because women take more lower paying jobs.” After picking up my jaw from the ground, I realized how utterly uneducated people are on what it is to be a woman today. Contrary to popular belief, the gender gap in pay does still exist. According to Carolina Aragão, “The gender gap in pay has remained relatively stable in the United States over the past 20 years or so. In 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what men earned, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full and part time workers.” The reasons why women get paid less than men are varying but are narrowed down to discrimination and the fact that they’re just women. Carolina Aragão also explains how “half of U.S. adults point to women being treated differently by employers as a major reason, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2022. Smaller shares point to women making different choices about how to balance work and family (42%) and working in jobs that pay less (34%).”
Other than not getting paid as much as men do, women also do not have the rights to their own body. With Roe v. Wade being overturned in 2022, women have lost bodily rights. There is also the fact that as American women we have the highest maternal mortality rate, the pink tax, and cannot even use the gym without fear of being attacked or harassed. Not that any of this is new information. It is the fact that women still have to defend themselves when they try to talk about these issues. Why is it so hard for men to accept and believe that women face issues and some of the root causes have to do with men, patriarchy, and the systems that are set up by them.
Like the conversation I was having with my “friend” I was trying to convince him why his logic is the reason why these issues exist in the first place. While these challenges are very real for women in America, many men may not fully understand or appreciate the extent of these issues. This lack of understanding can stem from a variety of factors, most of which include privilege, socialization, and a lack of exposure to women’s experiences. It is so important for men to listen to women’s experiences, educate themselves on gender issues, and work towards creating a more equitable society for everyone. By acknowledging and addressing the challenges faced by women in America, we can move towards a better future for our sons and daughters.