In her article “The Gendered Politics and Violence of Structural
Adjustment: A View from Jamaica,” Faye Harrison discusses the unfair wages of
women and how it is especially unfair because of their heavier burdens.
The author explains how women are
often the head of the household. Whether it be because of divorce, widow,
single by choice, adoption, or just because the man and the home does not work–
women often hold the fort down. Part of
the duties include taking care of the children which means paying for their
healthcare, paying for their schooling, and dealing with all other motherly
duties. In countries like Jamaica, women are even sometimes in charge of the
whole neighborhood’s kids. This places a large burden on the woman because
domestic work and taking care of children are a lot of work, so when they need
a job to make money as well, they are left with very little time for enjoyable
activities, alone time, or even be very basic personal care. So when companies decide to pay women last
and disregard their needs when creating benefits, the burden of women increases
exponentially.
Her arguments helped me to understand just how
serious unfair wages are. People may think that it is not a big deal, but the
authors perspective allows readers to think about just how seriously it can
affect families. The author also allowed
her readers to think about how these wage gaps don’t just affect the women, it
is impacting their children which is not something I had previously thought of.
Often times, unaffected individuals also
disregard the unfair benefit. Harrison’s point of view creates an image for us
of last access to birth control, safe abortions, medical care for children, and
so much more. Overall, she brings an opinion that helps create an image of just
how serious this problem is.
Another issue that this relates to is the
racial wage gap. In her article “The Other Pay Gap: Why Minorities are Still
Behind,” Kianta Key expresses “ Recent census data shows that wall white women
earn $.77 on on the dollar compared to white men, black women it earns $.64 and
Latinos earn $.55 compared to the earnings of white men” (Key 1). This is an issue because it creates a unequal
opportunity and reinforces the stereotypes of poor minorities. On top of this idea, individuals of different
cultural dissent are more susceptible to different diseases and different
conditions that are not thought of while creating benefits. In summary, the
racial wage gap and the gender wage gap both pose large issues and create
unequal opportunities.
What do you think
that the first step in creating equal pay for all genders and races is?
This article really made me think about what women are really put through in their everyday lives. It's sad to think how unsympathetic people can be to not consider all the factors that go into a pay check. You would think because women are so necessary for reproduction, and the care for children that things would almost be in favor of them instead of men. Going along with your question stated at the end, I really don't think there is a first step. Recieving complete equality among genders and races is a long process and is still something some people aren't even aware of yet. I would say if there had to be a first step, I would think awareness would be it.
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