Women and the economy

Women in the Economy: An Analysis of Gender Differences

The Twentieth Century brought with it a lot of reforms that helped open opportunities for gender equality for women. However, not all discrimination was lightened, especially in regards to the economic position of many American women today. In the modern context, women are still clearly at a disadvantage in regards to their place within the economy. They are often paid less than their male counterparts and subsequently larger numbers of poor women compared to men.

Women have an extreme disadvantage in regards to their economic status compared to men of the same positions. Throughout the Twentieth century, the gender wage gap has continued to generate a society that pays women far less than their male counterparts. Essentially, women make less than their male counterparts do in the same positions. Thus, the research suggests that "many of the women entering wage employment have moved into jobs considered socially appropriate for women, contributing to a persistent pattern of occupational gender segregation," (Mutari & Figart, 2003, p 110). For most women, they make a significant amount less than men in the same type of positions. For many positions, women are paid up to 60% less than men in the same types of positions. Some reports show that the gender wage gap is decreasing, especially amongst blue collar positions. But many of these positions see women in more domestic contexts, working as teachers or domestic services. Thus, they decrease in the gap between men and women are decreasing at such an extent primarily because there are such few men in such positions. For the highest wage earning positions, however, the gender wage gap is actually increasing. This is often because there are so few women employed in top executive positions.

Ultimately, this has resulted in a phenomenon known as the feminization of poverty. This term refers to the fact that there are significantly more women in positions of poverty compared to men on a global scale. This creates a situation where women often lack the economic power to fight for their rights and issues in their interest. Essentially, the research suggests that "the degree of gender stratification is inversely related to the level of economic power women can mobilize and conversely, the less economic power can mobilize, the more likely they are to be oppressed physically, politically, and ideologically" (Bolender 1). This is what allows a male dominated society to make rules and laws about female fertility issues and other woman's related concerns. Margaret Anderson would agree that the gender wage gap is responsible for putting women at a disadvantage economically, but also putting them in a more vulnerable place regarding their oppression from a gender and fertility standpoint as well. Here, Anderson would assert that the discrimination against women in the economic context allows for more discrimination in personal and political issues as well.