Women and Economics

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the phenomenon called occupational segregation. The paper explores why the overwhelming majority of women continue to do traditionally female work. The paper presents the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and contends that, despite these laws, women still earn less than men.

Outline
Introduction
History of Equal Pay Initiatives
Reasons for Gender-Based Pay Disparity
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was "the first law to suggest that the pay of women should be equal to men when their positions are equal" (Crampton et al, 1997, p. 335+). The intention behind the law was to eliminate gender-based discrimination and "the depressing effects on living standards caused by reduced wages for female workers" (Crampton et al, 1997, p. 335+). This was a serious economic impact at the time; it is still serious. Then, women's pay was estimated at about 60% of men's. Today, estimates put it at about 70%, and some as low as 68%, meaning there was not much advance in 40 years. In addition, "About 60 percent of the improvement in the wage gap during the last 15 years can be attributed to the decline in men's real earnings. Approximately 40 percent of the gap is a result of women's better earning power" (Newsnotes, 1996)."

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