BBA #4

Reasons Behind the Pay gap

  • Small percentage: discrimination

  • Workplace isn’t structured for motherhood

  • Expectation that women will be primary caretakers

  • Lack of history for white women working

  • Example: Iceland paternity leave policy

    • Use it or lose it

    • Men expect to take care of children

  • Most important: women should bear children

    • 70% think new fathers should work full time, <20% for women

    • Women spend 9 hours per week more on child care and housework even if they work full time

    • Women turn down certain assignments and travel due to child care

  • Non-caregiver women earn 96% of what a man makes

  • 3x as many single moms than single dads

  • Social expectations about who raises children

  • Myths: there is no wage gap, it’s due to job choice, it’s only due to discrimination

  • What about small buisness owners?

Part 1:

  • This video explains the gender pay gap through outright discrimination, workplace isn’t structured for motherhood, societal expectation that women take care of children and do house work, even if they work full time

  • Iceland example was strong, and replicable (no-genocide)

  • Myths: there is no wage gap, it’s due to job choice, it’s only due to discrimination

  • Representative diversity

Part 2

  • Implicit bias- women of childbearing age are likely to have children and take maternity leave, so they shouldn’t be hired

  • Research on how employers evaluate candidates compared to how they perceive they evaluate candidates

  • Comparisons of job opportunities for new grads male/female who don’t want to have kids

  • See how often employers ask questions that ask if the woman plans to have kids

  • How motherhood actually impacts the workplace, and what could be done to make workplaces family friendly

Part 3

  • Bias around motherhood can be race specific

  • Childcare is expensive, so rich women can pay to have their kids taken care of

  • Steps:

    • Encourage maternity/paternity leave, along with general holiday policies for non-parents

    • Use remote work to allow parents to work while taking care of their sick kids

    • Focus more on work done than time spent if possible

    • Free childcare

    • Increase representative diversity and societal messages

  • My field: forensic psychology-class issues leading to crime, how the societal expectation for women to work and take care of kids affects mental health and time constraints