How to Reduce the Pay Gap Between Men and Women
Massachusetts now mandates that employers offer prospective employees a compensation figure without asking what that applicant made at a previous job, to keep from perpetuating the disparately low wages that plague women and minorities. New York City is considering a similar bill. But the causes of pay inequity are complex. Are these measures a step in the right direction? What else can be done to ensure women receive equal pay for equal work?
* pay gap = 임금 격차/ mandate = 명령[지시]하다/ prospective employee = 채용 후보자/ applicant = 지원자/ perpetuate = 영구화하다, 영속시키다/ disparately = 본질적으로 다르게, 유사점이 없이/ plague = (한동안 고통・문제로) 괴롭히다; (요구・부탁 등으로) 성가시게 하다/ minority = (한 사회・국가 내의) 소수집단/ bill = (국회에 제출된) 법안/ inequity = 불공평/ step = (어떤 목표를 달성하기 위한) 움직임[걸음/조치]/ ensure = 반드시 …하게[이게] 하다, 보장하다
여성들이 같은 일에 대한 동일한 임금을 받는 것을 보장하기 위해서 할 수 있는 것은 무엇인가요?
1. Women Need Equal Opportunities for Job Advancement
Men still get better jobs that lead to more promotion opportunities.
2. Salary Transparency Is Key
In many public sector settings, wage gaps between men and women tend to be lower because there is more pay transparency.
3. Salary Negotiations Often Keep Women from Equal Pay
As long as employers are allowed to pay unequal wages because men negotiated for more, we will not completely eradicate the pay gap.
4. Jobs Associated with Women Are Lower Paid
Two thirds of all minimum wage workers are women, and many minimum wage jobs are held by women of color.
Sample Essay
Salary Transparency Is Key to Narrowing Gender Pay Disparities
Similar to a provision in the Massachusetts new law, California recently passed legislation that prohibits employers from penalizing workers who discuss wages and salaries. (Massachusetts goes further by also restricting employers from asking about new hires’ salary histories.)
These laws are useful in helping to erode the norm against discussing wages and salaries. Sapping the strength of this longstanding cultural prohibition could empower women and racial and ethnic minority workers to speak out against unfair pay practices, and potentially reduce stubborn pay gaps.
I say potentially because the actual impact of these laws will depend on their enforcement, and just as important, on education campaigns to let workers know these laws are on the books. After all, policies that prohibit workers from discussing their pay with colleagues have been illegal for over 80 years. And yet we know from a recent survey that nearly half of the workforce remains subject to this type of speech restriction.
Similarly, banning the use of salary histories in setting pay will matter only if workers and hiring managers are aware of Massachusetts' new law.
And, like other recent legislation, Massachusetts's does not mandate salary transparency — which could be a big step toward eliminating the pay gap. It aims only to prevent employers from penalizing workers who discuss wages and salaries. There is a huge gulf between pay transparency — like we see in many public sector settings, where wage gaps between men and women tend to be lower — and these recent policies to help narrow gender pay disparities.
After all, allowing workers to discuss pay will reduce disparities only if underpaid workers actually have these conversations, and then demand a raise, and their bosses meet their demands.
