Communication in Public Settings

6 thoughts on “Policy Options Brief on the Gender Pay Gap”

  1. The case for the seriousness of the problem is sufficient. I think the topic of gender gap is extremely important to research and bring to surface. And the authors have done a great job in doing this. I found it helpful that they introduced the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and whether this act made a difference to women’s pay. They also mention how women contribute to the society economically and for the society as caretakers of their children. Women are often seen as second-class citizens and not prime bread-winners in their family. This part allowed me to reflect to my family’s situation where the women are the only bread-winners of the family and have made the greatest difference. If my sisters and I were paid just as much as men, then we would be able to make more contributions to the family.

    I also like the fact that this group mentioned that the pay gap is more detrimental than we think. They mentioned that “70% of mothers (who children are under 18) work and have the responsibility of caring for their children as well as other family members that may be ill, elderly, or disabled. Women actually spend twice as much time caring for children than men do” (Crayton, Poghosyan, Frank, and Horanlli).

    I also found it interesting and helpful that this group provided statistics that backed up their concerns,solutions, and facts. For example, it was important for me to know whether discrimination really makes a difference in pay gap. This group mentioned that discrimination leads to 38% pay gap difference. This allows me to put things in perspective and actually the disparity.

    Lastly, I think the unionization of working women is a great option because the group provided actual numbers (13% higher wage for those women who were a part of the union). They even mentioned how in 2014, “women earned 24% more than their non-unionized counterparts” (Crayton, Poghosyan, Frank, and Horanlli). The numbers allow us to see that unionization brings forth changes (even if it is a small change).

  2. 1. Is the seriousness of the problem sufficient?

    This group mentions that the Paycheck Fairness Act needs to be passed and policies promoting transparency need to be put in place to reflect and honor all Americans including women. They incorporated statistics to backup the seriousness of the problem which reflected not only women but Americans of color as well. There is a sufficient amount of support towards the seriousness of the problem. I especially like that discrimination in the work force and women being the primary caretakers shows statistically how there is a gender pay gap in this country.

    2. Can you think of any options not mentioned by the author that might solve the problem? What are they?

    I can’t think of any other options not mentioned by the author that might solve the problem. There is a sufficient amount of options that they already mentioned in there policy brief. I especially like the option for unionization of working woman.

    3. Do you have all the information you need to make a decision about which option to choose?

    After reading this policy brief I do have all the information I need to make a decision about which option to choose. All of the options presented have a strong support towards solving the gender pay gap.

    4. Which option or options seem best to you? Why?

    The first option seems to be one of the best options. By strengthening equal pay laws that will be one of the best ways to reduce the wage gap. The fourth option for having a unionization of working woman seems as another great option. This would not only help with increasing their wages but also will provide health insurance (especially important since woman are the primary caregivers).

    *** The only thing I want to comment on from this policy brief is the wording in the third paragraph. “As women are more educated and are more likely to attend school than men,” to me this sentence is written more as an opinion. I think that a statistic needs to be quoted in order to say this because this is not written as a known fact and may sound biased to some people. Overall you have a great topic and policy brief!

  3. 1) Is the case for the seriousness of the problem sufficient? If not, how could it be stronger?
    Yes. The brief provides both numbers and statistics as well as the history of the issue in America. It also describes the impact beyond women- specifically the impact it can also have on their families.

    2) Can you think of any options not mentioned by the author(s) that might solve the problem? What are they?
    I actually can’t think of any options that are not mentioned. The options presented seem to represent a wide range of either new initiatives or policy reform.

    3) Do you have all the information you need to make a decision about which option(s) to choose? What more would it be helpful to know.
    Yes. All of the options are very thoroughly explained with information, statistics, and what the exact changes would be (especially in number one).

    4) Which option or options seem best to you? Why?
    I think that the best option is the first one- which is to strengthen policy which advocates for equal pay. Despite the fact that our country does have a law on this issue which should solve it, it is clear that it is unfortunately still an issue. This does not necessarily mean that we need a new law, rather the one we already have needs to be more strongly enforced. However, the Paycheck Fairness Act might be something stronger that could make more of an impact than what is already in play.
    The third option is surely an important issue, however I don’t feel that it directly tackles the problem that you are trying to solve. I think it is a problem that there are more men than women in high-wage jobs. However, the issue you are trying to tackle is that men and women who hold the same job (regardless of whether it is high or low wage) are receiving different pay.

  4. 1) Is the case for the seriousness of the problem sufficient? If not, how could it be stronger?
    I believe that unequal pay for women is a serious problem. This policy option brief did lay down
    the issues with this from minorities like Hispanics and Black women get paid less, being half or majority of the breadwinner in the household, not having enough women in STEM jobs, and paid leave is all great facts.

    2) Can you think of any options not mentioned by the author(s) that might solve the problem? What are they?
    I actually cannot think of any other option that the authors can add to solve the problem. I think their answers are enough.

    3) Do you have all the information you need to make a decision about which option(s) to choose? What more would it be helpful to know.
    Yes, I believe that I have all the information I need to make a decision to support equal pay for women. I would like to know more about other jobs that women do not have a high percentage in. Is it just STEM related jobs or others?

    4) Which option or options seem best to you? Why?
    I like like two options which are strengthen the very important words and terms in the Paycheck Fairness Act such as clarifying “sex”, making Department of Labor and EEOC collect data on compensation and other distinctions of people to fight gender discrimination, and stop retaliation for disclosure of salary information. I had an experience like that once in a big retail store that I was being paid less then many men and I bought it up to the manager. He stated that my male co-worker and I are not allowed to discuss our wage information. He said he can suspend or have a HR case against me for that and he refused to give me a raise. I think just because someone wants to know the pay as their colleague shouldnt be a bad thing.
    I also liked unionizing working women more because it can protect and guarantee our rights.

  5. This is a very big issue that we are facing till this day. I appreciate the mentioning of that there are different levels of pay within women. Not being able to provide equal pay to employees is very devastating especially when the parent is a single parent. Great ideas! This paper explores different elements, upon equal pay and presents very powerful statements. This is the best solution when it comes to treating women equally.

  6. To: Arielle Crayton, Tamara Poghosyan, Atara Frank, & Erina Horanlli
    From: Francielle Santiago, Dianna Davydkina, and Joanna Herbaczewska
    of Charles B. Rangel’s Response Panel
    Subject: Gender Pay Gap
    Date: November 10, 2016

    We acknowledge and understand the seriousness of the gender pay gap in the United States. Your presentation made it clear that this is a problem that affects all women in our country. The background information, statistics, and visual representations that you provided make it clear that the government needs to address this issue. We would like to move forward with this initiative and would like to collaborate with your team in order to do so.
    From the presentation, we gained more insight into the task at hand. Women make about 79 cents to a man’s dollar, clearly getting underpaid while adding significantly to our country’s GDP. It is extremely unfortunate that several women are unpaid for maternity leave. What was most striking to us was your argument that the gender pay gap is harmful for families as well, especially for single mothers. The information provided about benefits and drawbacks help guide us to make decisions regarding policy options.
    In our opinion, strengthening equal pay laws is the first step that should be taken to address this issue. By passing and implementing laws regarding equal pay, the government will increase transparency and clarity by officially having ethical practices in writing. It should be illegal for women to get paid less due to discrimination. Financial penalties should be implemented for those who violate such laws. Advocating for the passing of equal pay laws may seem to be a daunting task, but it is important.
    Also, we believe that unionization of women to represent women across the board would be beneficial as well. Women who are part of a union make more money, closing the gender pay gap to some extent. Women in unions would also receive better benefits. By developing a union for women, women will become empowered to advocate for themselves and their fellow female colleagues. This is an exciting idea that is worth expanding upon. It might be useful to research how to develop a union and to clarify how to become a member of this union. We also believe that all should be able to be allowed into this union and to advocate fairness.
    While we do believe that addressing women’s underrepresentation in male-dominant fields and promoting STEM for women early on is beneficial to society, we are unsure at this time that it will really reduce the pay gap. As you mentioned, discrimination can still occur even if women do enter the male-dominant field. In addition, if this grant is reinstated, it is possible that women may still be uninterested in these fields.
    Furthermore, it would be beneficial to learn the statistics and effectiveness of this program during its prior implementation to determine if it is worth reinstating. Did the number of women who enrolled in male-dominant majors increase as a result of this program? Approximately, how many seats/scholarships were provided? If obtaining a grant is difficult due to the amount of money requested, perhaps the number of seats/scholarships provided should be decreased. The government can create federal grants to help make this happen. This can be taken on a state level and then issued towards different organizations and facilities within that state. Alternatively, an effective method may be the inclusion of a STEM curriculum from early childhood onwards.
    We would like to thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. It was a pleasure learning from you and the ideas you have to offer to address the important issue of the gender pay gap in our country. We hope you will consider the options that we believe to be most appropriate at this time and will gladly answer any questions that you have along the way.

    Best,
    Francielle Santiago
    Dianna Davydkina
    Joanna Herbaczewska

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