Gender discrimination in society and the workplace Essay

In recent years women have been making gains toward equality in the workplace, but still there is a pay gap that separates men and women. It is interesting to note that women are consistently compensated less than men who fill similar positions. Discrimination is blamed for the salary disparities. My guess is as long as there are differences between people, there will be discrimination in one form or another. That may be only a general thought about discrimination, but men and women are always going to be different. How are we affected by such forms of gender discrimination? Well obviously those who are directly impacted negatively can feel the effects, but undoubtedly society and the economy are impacted as well. It may be difficult to determine in what ways they may be affected however. It seems that through the years, there has never been a time where women have been as well compensated as men. Just because its something we may be used to, does that mean it’s right? Some people would argue that women shouldn’t even be working as it is. Many people think that a woman’s place is in the home. Perhaps that is the ideal in many societies. It would seem beneficial to have at least one parent in the home caring for children rather than placing them into a daycare facility. Traditionally the husband has been the breadwinner of the household, but with inflation rates skyrocketing, it is increasingly necessary to send the wife off to work as well. Of course women should be treated as equals and be paid the same that a man would be if he were filling the position. One way or another this problem should take care of itself or it could be speculated that there will be an increasing amount of animosity among members of society. Long-term effects of gender discrimination are not clear, but why should we continue to place barriers between different people? The government has seemed to be cracking down on equal opportunity and anti-discrimination laws, as they should be. The United States is a place of equality and equal opportunity, and while we may be huge steps ahead of other countries, gender discrimination is still a factor that must be dealt with.