Pay Gap Stats

www.aauw.org

The economic principle I’m exploring is “Institutions are the rules of the game that influence choices”. My research question to help me study the economic principle is “how do gender norms affect job opportunities?” The article published in AAUW titled “ The Simple Truth about Pay Gap ” demonstrates this economic principle because it shows the difference in pay between men and women. The article published in Chicago Mag titled “ Illinois Will Finally Close the Gender Wage Gap… in 2065” also demonstrates this because it explains what track Illinois is on for getting equal pay.

 First, women are usually “paid just 80 percent of what men were paid”. This means there is a 20% gap between men and women salaries on average. In Illinois, women earn “79.3 cents for every dollar a man makes” which is a 20.7% gap. This shows that many women are discriminated against through salaries. This can affect job opportunities because women will focus on jobs that will benefit them most.

 Second, in the future, “ women are expected to reach pay equity with men in 2059”. But in a more recent study, it was found that “women will not reach pay equity with men until 2119” which is extremely past the original date. This is not helpful for gender equality. In my next blog post I will research: Job opportunities for women vs. men