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| http://worksite.actu.org.au/equal-pay-equal-value/ |
What Gap?
The wage gap and differences are historical in the United States and have become more of an issue in recent years as women are beginning to hold a large presence in the workplace. In the past, women's work generally consisted of staying at home and attending to domestic roles for the family. This was not only the social norm but expected of women. After the 1950's more and more women began to break that mold and join the workforce. This movement inspired the Equal Pay Act of 1963. This act was set in place to prohibit discrimination based on gender for those who perform jobs of equal skill. And yet, even with this act put in place over 50 years ago, equal pay is still an issue among all classes. So, this has raised the question, is this purely cultural for Americans?
Exploring Dimensions
Cultural dimensions are the makeup of and distinguishing factors of culture. Geert Hofstede has done groundbreaking work on the workplace and cultural influence. His cultural dimensions are foundational in any type of cultural analysis. The dimensions Hofstede explains includes power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation, and indulgence. The larger factor of gender equality and pay stems from the masculinity aspect. Masculinity and femininity shape culture and their values. The Masculine culture will value Career Success while Feminine cultures value the quality of life. More often than not, feminine cultures with promote sexual equality and contain a weak gender differentiation. This quality, in turn, encourages women to stand up for their rights and fight for equality. The United States has a relatively high masculinity score compared to countries like Iceland, where women are making a huge impact on society as a whole.
Future Hope
It is so important to recognize that in the United States, we, the people, are represented. The government represents us, not the other way around. There can be change for women who are victims of unequal pay if and when we take a stand. It is important to remember who is running to be our leaders and lead our country into equality. Not only being knowledgeable of those running but also seeing where they stand, and have stood in the past. Many candidates running for 2016, like presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, are large advocates for the paycheck fairness act. As our culture is ever changing, it is harder to try and change an entire nation, then advocate for a leader to support the change we wish to see.
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