It’s not a secret that there is a gender wage gap in America. In fact, there is a wage gap in every country. The World Economic Forum reports that the country closest to wage equality is Iceland, at about 88 percent, as in, a woman makes 88 cents for every dollar a man makes.
This report is from 2015, so the numbers could be different now, and, for the United States, they are. The Pew Research Center reported in July of 2016 that women still earn about 83 percent of what a men make. The PRC study accounted for differences in social status, race and education, but still found discrepancies.
The effort to achieve gender equality, especially in terms of equal pay, has been going on for more than 50 years. In short, the wage equality fight is a long and slow one.
Throughout the election process, policy was not at the forefront of the news. Hillary Clinton was the main candidate pushing for gender pay equality. Though Donald Trump is portrayed by the media as some kind of dirty uncle type, he does have plans for the advancement of women. Whether or not he will carry them out is yet to be seen.
Trump has said he supports giving women equal pay for equal work. He has also said giving equal pay to everyone regardless of the quality of their work gets close to socialism. Personally, I agree with that. There shouldn’t be a blanket amount that people make, but there should be equal pay for equal work.
For example, if a woman and a man are doing the same job, putting in the same hours, giving the same level of commitment and dedication to doing their best at the job and being productive for their field, then they should be paid equally.
Inversely, if one of them is slacking in terms of effort and quality, then the one who is performing poorly shouldn’t be given the same amount for the employee that goes above and beyond. Regardless of race, gender or any other identifier.
In a 2015 CNN interview, Trump said he paid his female employees the same as men and even promoted women to leadership positions. Even though he hasn’t revealed his plans to the public, he at least seems to have his mind in the right place for advancement.
There are those who believe he and his daughter Ivanka pay their female employees less. While this may be true, a collective blame needs to be placed on our country, not individuals. There’s still an 83 percent gender wage gap, and I can guarantee that’s not from a few companies paying their women less. It is extremely cumulative across the country.
At the end of Dec. 2016, Trump’s transition team requested an outline of “existing programs and activities to promote gender equality, such as ending gender-based violence, promoting women’s participation in economic and political spheres, entrepreneurship, etc.” according to the document requesting the outline.
It does not seem policy focused, but simply information that the transition team should have. In an article by the New York Times, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said “the transition team should clarify their intent” and if this new administration intended to “roll back programs designed to lift women up”, then there would be stiff opposition.
To me, this seems like someone who is just majorly defensive.
There aren’t any clear policies yet on what the administration plans to do. However,judging on the background of Trump’s professional treatment of women and moves like having Erin Walsh, a former Goldman Sachs executive in Asia who worked for gender issues advancement, he seems like he’s on the right track.
Personally, I am simply interested in knowing what kind of workplace environment I can expect to go into when I graduate college. I’d like to know, because I am a woman with high expectations for myself. I have aspirations and dreams for my life that I intend to realize.
For others, like single mothers, the 17 percent difference can mean whether or not their bills get paid. It can make the difference between someone who can afford to eat well and those who become malnourished.
I just want to know if my gender is going to derail my plans, and I need to know I can trust President Trump to make the workplace an environment where I can thrive. More importantly, I want to know whether it improve the livelihood of those people who are affected by this gap.
We as a nation must give him a chance, but only the future truly knows.
Myia Hambrick is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Temple, Georgia.