A huge problem is occurring in America and other countries around the world. This problem is called the wage gap. The wage gap is the difference of pay between males and females. Men make more money. Many female children and teenagers grow up without knowing that their own brothers, boyfriends, etc. could have the same job and make more money than them. The largest reason that they have a smaller wage is simply due to the fact that they are female. We must conquer the wage gap before it engulfs America!

It is important to know the pay difference between males and females. Caucasian, or white, women only get an average of 77 cents for every dollar that caucasian men make (Women Deserve Equal Pay). The gap is even larger for people of different races. African American women only earn an average 64 cents for every dollar that white men make, and Latinas only get 55 cents (Women Deserve Equal Pay). Apparently if you are a female and are of color, you don’t deserve as much as a caucasian male. This is unfair and should not be tolerated.

Not only does your gender and race affect your pay, it also depends on what state you live in. In Washington, DC, the average pay for women is 90 cents compared to the man's dollar. Wyoming is nicknamed the “equality state” but ironically, women in Wyoming only get 64% of what men make (Women Deserve Equal Pay).

Now that we know your gender, race, and state affects your wage, it also depends on if you are childless or have children. Women with kids get payed less than childless women. Employers are also less likely to hire moms. But unlike mothers, fathers are not “punished” for having children (Women Deserve Equal Pay). If men's’ wages don’t get affected by children, women shouldn’t either. Apparently only “all Men are created equal” as it says in the second paragraph in the Declaration of Independence (Chapman). The government is practically telling women that they don’t deserve the same rights as men

A large proportion of women cut back or take time off to deal with family responsibilities. 15 years after graduating college, Male business school graduates of the University of Chicago were making 75% more money than female graduates with children that took a normal amount of time off (Women Deserve Equal Pay). It isn’t fair that mothers get payed less. They need to support their child and should not be deducted pay for doing so.
Women deserve to have the same pay and wage as men. Wage differences kick in shortly after a female graduates from college. A year after graduating from college, women get 82% of what men make, and over the next 10 years, a woman’s wage drops to 69% of men's wages (Women Deserve Equal Pay). In other words, your wage starts to drop when you get out of college, and continues to drop as you get older. Of course this doesn’t apply to you if you get a different job or a significant raise.

Women are segregated into “pink collar” jobs that affect their wages according to a report by AAUW. Based on the Department of Education data, 40% of women work in “historically female” jobs such as nursing, teaching, et cetera. Only 5% of men were employed in these fields, as of 2013. Even if females don’t get a pink collar job, they are still underestimated from their full potential. Females that major in science and business are twice as likely than men to get jobs in clerical work (Women Deserve Equal Pay). Clerical work is work in an office that usually takes part in routine documentation and administrative tasks. Men usually get the management jobs.
Women need to fight back and defeat the wage gap. There are many ways to do this. One way is through The Wage Project. Their goal is to eliminate the gender wage gap for every woman in America (What Are the Costs). You can donate money to them on their website. The donated money goes towards getting even with men and eliminating the wage gap. Remember that every penny counts!

There is an equal pay day that makes people more aware of the gender wage gap. As of March 2016, the next equal pay day is Tuesday, April 12, 2016. This symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year (Equal Pay Day). Hopefully that date will decrease and eventually disappear.

Not everyone wants women to get equal pay. These thoughts and opinions are from debate.org. Some people argue that people should be paid based on their abilities. They believe that all men are physically stronger, therefore all men should be paid more. Other people believe that women should get equal pay for all jobs, except ones that require heavy lifting or difficult physical tasks. They should be paid less for those jobs. Another opinion is that men and women should get their wages based off of ability. This means that if a women is better at an occupation, they get  a higher pay than men. If a man is more skilled at the same occupation, they get a higher wage. For example, this means that at one school, it is possible for all teachers, men and women, to be paid differently. There are many other reasons for and against equal gender pay.

Overall, Women should get the rights that they deserve. Your location, children, race, and gender should not decide your wage. Let’s fight together and conquer the ghastly wage gap for America, and the rest of world!