Speak Out!

I think another issue as to why there is a pay difference is the assumption that a woman has a man at home supplementing her income, therefore, she doesn't need a salary on par with men. Due to the expectation that men will serve as the primary breadwinner, the work that men do are rewarded with greater salaries than women because he is expected to use his income to take care of his family. This is, for one, an erroneous assumption because depending on the type of work you do, a woman could earn more than men. Secondly, this problem is exacerbated for black people because black men's salaries are not on par with their white male peers. So while black men expect to take on the role of primary breadwinner, by circumstance (essentially institutional racism), black men cannot support their wives and children at the same rate as white men. Thus, it is imperative for black men and women to both work and re-write the traditional conventions of how finances should work in marriage - because the rules do not apply to us similarly.

Another issue for the lowered salaries is the realities of women raising children by themselves. The greatest predicator of poverty is to be raised in a single parent female headed household. No, I'm not passing judgment. I am stating fact. By being a woman AND a single parent, one's chances for upward mobility is greatly diminished. Add race to the mix and well....

I also believe that women have been systematically denied access to the "informal" networking by which men make business decisions, give promotions and raises. Many-a-business meeting was held in "gendered" spaces such as topless bars, sporting events and on the golf course. This puts women at a great disadvantage. We settle for the salary given to us because we don't want to lose our jobs...but what this does is reinforces a perception of low self-worth.

Finally, I believe in the whole notion of the "2nd shift" whereby women come home to a second job of cooking, cleaning and caring for children. This work is undervalued and not paid. It has the potential to hinder a woman's rise to the top since America does not have very many "family friendly" policies in the workplace (though we all complain about a lack of family values). If I'm a corporate relations officer, for instance, and my child gets sick, usually the school will contact the mother first. She is expected to take off work and rush to pick up her child. There isn't the same expectation for the father which means his chance of moving up and securing a higher salary is much greater than his wife's.

Without family friendly employment policies, recognition for work done outside of the home and black families re-writing the marriage script based on our reality, the pay equity issue will manifest itself in a variety of ugly ways.

Women are taught to settle, not to negotiate. Women are taught to accept less and pay more. Women are taught to demonstrate stability and reliability without holding others accountable. Women are not taught they deserve less; they are just given less to work with and expected to produce more. When society assigns depreciated value to a group of people, it becomes the norm and with it acceptance and integration of the norm within the very group. The uphill battle begins in the minds of capable women caught up in political and economic games not meant to include them. Gender bias is alive and well.

Thankfully, women are taking their ideas and undervalued skill set to the marketplace.