Women's Pay in the Past and Present

Female Nurses Without Pay
Photo: sciencemuseum.org.uk 

      If women were accepted and hired into the workplace, they did not have much of a chance to earn a decent living. Before 1750, lawsuits were brought to courts without specialized legal training where men and women would act as "attorneys in fact." As soon as lawyers became a paid profession, women were eliminated from the career. Nursing and teaching were job fields that offered the most women positions, but the lowest pay and low status. Nursing was actually considered as an extension of unpaid services of a midwife when women still dominated that field. (Women's International Center) 

Women demand Equal Rights in Protest
Photo: umck.edu

      Petitions and strikes did not work well in women's favor. Although a few unions began to form in support of women, male employers started to hold action against them calling it disrespectful and made the overall statement: "Give women an inch and they will take an ell" (Anthony, Susan B.) In 1868, collar laundry women began a trades union. Although their average pay increased from $6 to $8 to $11 to $21 per week, their income was a fraction of male workers and the employers. 1,000 women took the initiative to strike in May of 1869 for three long months. The women and unions ran out of money and were laughed at by their employers claiming that "not a single paper advocated their cause" in their opinion. Employers bribed news papers, an assumption of $10,000, to headline the newspaper: "If Women Are Not Satisfied, They Better Get Married." At the time, men won most work strikes and news papers did not dare to take bribes in their case. During the same time of 1868, the National Labor Union began pushing for equal pay between genders. In another case in the East, female teachers petitioned for better pay. The School Board actually decreased their salaries by $25 dollars a month, while the male salaries would be increased as their value was higher because of their right to vote. (Anthony, Susan B.) In 1903, the Women's Trade Union was established to unionize women and fight for better wages and working conditions.

According to off the sidelines.org, in 2012, white women made 77 cents off
of every dollar a man made, African American women made 69 cents, and
Latina women made only 58 cents.

   The gender gap has lessened throughout history in America although it is still present, however, this problem still remains a world-wide issue. According to Congressional Digest, by 2010, women made up 47% of the workforce and surpassed men in higher education levels. In manager and higher positions, women made 81 cents of every dollar men made. Even though in the category of lesser education, women earned less money for the same labor. Women earned an average of $14, while men earned an average of $19. According to Closethegap.co.uk, the global gender pay gap is 15.1%, with Korea having the worst of 37.5% and Slovenia having one of the least gaps of 3.5%. The United States ranks 16 with a gap of 17.8%. Although the gap has decreased greatly in many scenarios, and even some with women making more than men, the majority consensus declares that women still make a lot less than men overall. (Movehub.com)

Sources:

"The #1 Resource for Moving Abroad." Global Gender Pay Gap Map. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Close The Gap Working Paper 9. "What Is The Gender Pay Gap?" GENDER PAY GAP STATISTICS (n.d.): n. pag. Close the Gap. Web.

"Equal Pay - Off The Sidelines." Off The Sidelines. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

"Gender Pay." Congressional Digest 93.5 (2014): 8-10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

"Susan B. Anthony." - Women's Political Communication Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

"WIC - Women's History in America." WIC - Women's History in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.