There is still work to be done in regards to gender equality. In 2012, a study by the American Association of University Women controlled for factors known to affect earnings, such as education, parenthood and hours worked, found that college-educated women still earn 7 percent less than their male peers just one year out of school — even when they have the same major and occupation. As a soon to be college graduate, it is extremely disturbing and discouraging to know my degree and skills will be worth less because I am female. Even though the pay gap continues to shrink, it doesn’t mean that women are being treated fairly in the workplace.
More needs to be done to bring about equality in the workplace, and we can only get there if we work together. We need to engage both women and men in the fight for pay equality, and we need to let our legislators know that it is not enough to just talk about supporting pay equality and that we need to see action through legislation.
We need to push forward a 21st-century policy agenda that acknowledges women. It is not acceptable for members of Congress to claim that they support these values and not support them in legislation.
Jordan Hibbs Undergraduate
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