The gender gap has been a consistent problem that has affected many women for decades. Even now, in 2021, women earn 82 cents for every dollar a man makes. Even though it doesn’t seem like a lot, that 18 cent difference adds up, leaving women feeling frustrated and stressed.
When we take other factors into account, such as education, industry, etcetera, the wage gap shrinks so that women make 98 cents for every dollar. While that’s better, why does the gap have to exist in the first place?
There are two reasons why a gender gap exists in the workplace. They’re called “glass ceilings” and “sticky floors.”
The term “glass ceiling” is used to describe obstacles women might face when trying to advance their careers (ex: children). On the other hand, “sticky floors” describes a circumstance where women have disadvantages in the workplace (ex: others discriminating against them). While there are laws fighting the wage gap, sometimes the rules aren’t easy to enforce, and, unfortunately, people in power take advantage of that.
Hopefully, we will be able to completely remove this gap in the future by always sharing wage information. However, it will take time and teamwork to accomplish this goal.