The unequal pay of women causes increase of poverty rate for elderly women, oppression of women, and the expansion of feminism. Through out the century, the percentage of women in the workplace have increased dramatically. However, sexism still plays a role in society when it comes to the wallet. Though women are a more frequent occurrence in the work industry, many aren't being paid as much as their male coworkers. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy passed an Equal Pay Act that was supposed to close the gap between men's and women's wages. However, little progress has shown since then.
According to the Census Bureau March Current Population Survey, women only earn $1,203 more a year than they did in 1960. Women have come a long way in the workplace, and are now much more active in politics, business, and public service. So then why does a woman still only earns $.73
Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman around 1917-191...
English: Young anarchist feminists at anti-globali...
English: Photographic portrait of Emma Goldman, fa...to every $1.00 a man earns (Gold)? There still exists much sexism in today's workplace, but the problem is that it is not a widely talked about fact. Many people don't see how 27 cents can make such a difference, but in 40 years, that equals an average of $523,000 a year (Gold). This effects many widows and elderly women. Since women earn less money, they will receive lower pensions, raising the poverty rate of elderly women way above men. Many women have never supported themselves on their own, and when their husbands pass away, they do not have enough earnings to be self-sufficient. This is why 70% of elderly persons in poverty are women (Gold). Many elderly women living in poverty have lived very patriarchal lives. The wage gap only continues the oppression of women.
Since the beginning of history, women have always been discriminated upon. In...