Female Discrimination In The Labor Force Essay -- Gender Discriminatio

Female Discrimination in the Labor ForceIn the past decades there has been a dramatic increase in the number ofwomen participating in the labor force. This expansion has unfortunately shownhow women atomic number 18 still being treated as inferior citizens when comp be theirwages and the jobs they are hired for to that of men. Many women in similaroccupations as men, and having the same qualifications are only paid a fractionof what their male counterparts are paid. The only reasonable explanation thatcan be found for this income gap is discrimination. This unfair treatment shownthroughout the handouts illustrate how far people still give birth to go before equaltreatment becomes standard.The increase in female participation started occurring during the 1970s.The number of women in the civilian labor force jumped from 23 one million million in the1960s to 31 million in the 1970s. This leap would continue and increase inthe 1980s and on into the 1990s. The result, in 1995, is a female labor forcethat total over 60 million. This comprised 46 percent of the civilian practiceforce (10).A reason for the rise in participation by women may be in the way womensaw marriage and children. Fewer women saw marriage as a settling down. Womenwho had children began to return to their jobs. The number of working womenthat were either marital or had children or both increased dramatically. In1965, women with children under 18 years of age numbered 35.0 percent of thelabor force. This number increased to 47.4 percent in 1975. In ten years itwas 62.1 percent and finally in 1995 it had grown to 69.7 percent (7). Thisshowed that the female attitude towards having children and marriage has changed.According to the handouts, in 1970 women were paid seedy when comparedto their male counterparts. The female worker had a median yearly earning of 19,101 dollars. This was only 59.4 percent of what the males made. This doesstart to change in the 1980s as female fee rose to 60.2 p ercent of mens.Five years later it had reached 64.6 percent. By 1990, the females earningshad risen to 71.6 percent of what a man would make (2).Women in the workplace arrive at always been discriminated against. Eversince the first women started to work... ... that women werein some way not as accomplished or competent as men. Yet, a more in depthinvestigation would show that women are just as qualified, if not more so, thanmen. A principal of equal pay for equal work should be employed by allbusinesses and would definitely close the income gap.Most people want to correct the unequal treatment of women in the workforce. One manner that can be used to support equality would be to introduce afederal legislation to guarantee equal pay for equal work if there isnt onealready. The logistical problem with this solution though would be great. Howwould people measure the value of one persons work to anothers? Who woulddecide this and how would it be implement? Much still has to be done beforethis important issue is laid to rest.Peoples attitudes towards women in the work force is slowly starting tochange. More opportunities are appearing for women workers. The unequaltreatment of working women will take years to change, but change is occurring.This topic will remain until the day people are treated and paid equally basedupon their abilities and not anything else.