How is sexism still alive in the modern USA?

Answer 1

First answer

• On average, women still earn less money than men do for the same job.
• Think about sports. Lots of people watch the NBA, but hardly anyone even follows the WNBA.

Not-So-Equal Pay

Women are still in the red when it comes to pay. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics, women today, on average, are paid only 76 cents in wages for every dollar that men are paid. That represents a snail-like increase of less than a cent per year since the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, when women were paid 59 cents compared to a man's dollar in wages. If the same pace continues, we may not achieve parity until 2042!

Contributing Factor:

Somewhere during the women's movement of the 1960s-1970s, sparked by Betty Friedan's bestseller, The Feminine Mystique, the term 'Pink Collar Ghetto' was coined. It referred to jobs that were predominated by females; jobs which normally did not attract a lot of men, not only because of the lower pay and lower chance of advancement but also due to the image of being 'women's work'. Some of these roles have changed to a certain extent, such as teaching, nursing, or house keeping. Others have not and are still largely populated by women, such as secretarial, clerical, and one that was not even an 'industry' during the time frame mentioned, that of child care. Because of the predominance of women still filling these roles, the statistics will be affected compared to the many women who have succeeded in the roles that were once male dominated.