No matter where you go, you will hear about pay disparities. Women and men work according to the same job descriptions and parameters; however, you will learn that men get higher pay and promotions faster than women. It is a common scenario everywhere. America is no different. The administration should enforce stricter laws to ensure that employers maintain pay parity. Moreover, the federal government also needs to release funds for the same.
The gender pay gap as of 2020 was 16%. It means that women earn 84% less than what men earn on average. This has led to mass agitations in several fields, almost always led by women. However, the scenario has still not improved.
Equal pay points towards the fact that all workers, irrespective of gender, should get equal pay. However, employers do not seem to understand this simple concept. However, it does not stop here. Equal pay also takes into account the inequality in pay between workers of different classes. Pay secrecy may also be considered under the same umbrella term. Read about the government’s actions to ensure that every employee or wage earner stands on an equal footing where pay is concerned.
Issue a Memorandum in the Parliament
The president of the states should enforce a memo in the ministry. It can also involve launching the equal pay task force. The administration has to take the initiative to lead the way. When Barack Obama occupied the prominent position in the US a few years back, he had pressed for guidelines and a task force to combat pay disparities. He brought together experts from various fields and frequently discussed multiple strategies. The current administration should do something similar.
While creating an action plan, the government ought to ascertain what compliance should be like. Workers’ compensation, safety compliance, and other employment laws exist, but they are not centered around any gender. This can also mean that economic security for women has to take precedence over all else. Moreover, the government must ensure that sudden and random compliance audits are done daily.
Bring Out Laws to Generate Gender and Racial pay Gaps Data
The federal force had a gender pay gap of 7% in 2017. The gap seems to be much small compared to the pay gap for private employees. US Government Accountability Office has already generated data in 2020 on federal agencies’ functions. The said office has been pressurizing the Federal government to ramp up its data collection efforts. Also, the Office of Personnel Management should explore the measures taken by the federal government to close the pay gaps.
Apart from racialism and gender pay disparity, many others need to be taken care of. One look at the economy news will give you a fair idea of the ongoing across several industries. Agitations are taking place across sectors. During the third pandemic wave, several healthcare members are also among the deprived. So, more attention is required on that front as well.
Make Efforts to Abolish Pay Secrecy
You must have heard that employers ask employees to avoid discussing pay-related issues with one another. The same does not just apply to one sector, but many others. During Obama’s presidential rule, the office had issued a prohibitive order which stopped federal contractors from taking action against workers who discussed their pay in public.
The rules encompassing maintaining pay secrecy are considered illegal. However, many employers continue to practice them. Therefore, the administration should employ a separate task force to add transparency to the whole process. Once that happens, things will surely get better for all genders and workers.
Pursue Economic Security for the Fairer Gender
You cannot enforce equal pay in isolation. Several other facets need to be considered. The wages or salaries of women need equal attention, and so do their after-effects. In this context, you can rightly say that the economic condition of women, with respect to the men, need a huge push. That can only happen when pay disparities are abolished.
The government should also include better medicare facilities for women employees and their families. Leaves also matter as women are considered caregivers as well. The administration has to ensure that policies are designed to help women manage both work and home. Economic policies are the need of the hour when it comes to women’s upliftment. However, only pay is not the only point of concern here. The government has to consider all other facets.
These are a few of the essential actions that the government ought to take to close pay inequality among the population.
