Throughout most of history, women generally have tended to have fewer rights and less career opportunities than men. However, in the 20th century, women in many nations won the right to vote and increased their educational and job opportunities, expanding their choices to work jobs that were once only for men. That being said, women have proven themselves capable as obtaining the same occupation as men. Despite their qualification, women today are still being underpaid in comparison to me. Women deserve the same pay as men and the wage gap is an unfair policy that needs to be further recognized.

Women should not be punished for something they have no say in. They will work just as hard as men, so why shouldn’t they get equal pay? All employees deserve qualitative pay, so women employees should receive that just as men do. If one is doing their job, they do not deserve to be treated differently simply based on their sex. According to the United States Department of Labor, “Women are projected to account for 51 percent of the increase of total labor force growth between 2008 and 2018.” People don’t get to control their gender, so why is it allowed that other people to control women’s outcomes?

Imagine working all day, determined to perform well. Your colleague is sitting next to you who has the same exact job and does the same amount of work, yet at the end of the week, his paycheck is higher than yours. Why? Because you are a female and he is a male. You then may feel as if you didn’t work hard enough,or that you’re not strong enough for this job and maybe you should find another one. All your hard work will seem meaningless as you are barely being acknowledged for it. Some may argue that being underpaid is hardly a punishment, but when it impacts one’s self esteem and the way people view themselves in the work force, the wage gap can actually be a mental beating for women.

In addition, the wage gap can also belittle women legally. The Women’s International Center is an organization whose purpose is to educate people on all things regarding women, one of those being the wage gap. In its article The Legal Status of Women, it states “The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required equal wages for men and women doing equal work. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against women by any company with 25 or more employees. However, despite the legal restrictions, discrimination persisted. Just because someone is a female does not mean they are any less qualified for an occupation than a man, so they should be paid sufficiently.

No matter age, social status, sexuality, race, religion, gender- all people obtain the right to be paid properly for the work they perform. There are hard working women all over the world who are in need of receiving the same pay as men, and there is no reason that they shouldn’t. The wage gap needs to be much further evaluated and considered in that it negatively impacts women mentally, legally and economically.