The YouTube video “Child Social Experiment Looks at Gender Equality” demonstrates pay inequality between men and women. In the video, the children are asked to sort out blue and pink balls into two different vases. Although the boys and girls do the same kind of work, the boys get more rewards than the girls. Pay inequality is a form of discrimination that affects various groups of people.
I was pained to see the little girls’ expressions when they realized that they received fewer candy than the boys. All the children could clearly see that it was unfair for girls to get a smaller reward than boys just because of gender (William, 2018). Though the video made me angry because it shows what goes on in the real world, I was glad to see that children have an understanding of equality. This made me question why adults continue to propagate unfair labor practices. If children comprehend the injustice behind pay inequality, then employers have no excuse for this behavior.
Pay inequality negatively impacts the earnings of women by compensating them less than their male workmates for the same work. Consequently, female employees experience financial growth at a slower rate and do not enjoy the same standard of living as their counterparts (Dworkin et al., 2018). Moreover, it demoralizes women, leading to higher job stress and lower satisfaction with work. Pay inequality also sanctions sexism because male employees feel more valuable to the company. By paying men more than women, employers send the message that male employees are more valued than female employees. Besides the victims, pay inequality affects other employees in an organization. It threatens their job security because a business that discriminates on basis of gender can suffer poor public relations and even litigations. This could be costly to the business, which may then be forced to lay off some workers. Working for a company that discriminates on basis of gender is disadvantageous to women and risky for other employees.
To ensure pay equality, employers should permit employees to freely discuss salaries amongst themselves. Pay inequality is possible because of the culture of secrecy surrounding salaries and renumeration. It would be better if employees are allowed to compare salaries to spot any discrepancies. Pay transparency would help to close the gender wage gap. Employers should also avoid taking advantage of women who ask for a lower starting salary than male candidates during interviews. Research shows that women are less likely to negotiate for higher salaries (Dreber et al., 2022). They also ask for less money than men when starting a job. Instead of paying these female candidates the amount they are asking for, companies should raise their starting salaries to match the wages of male employees in the same position. It is unethical for employees to exploit this difference and pay men more than women. Lastly, organizations should have an equal pay policy and stick to it. By committing themselves to pay equality, businesses show that they support diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.
Besides women, other groups of people that may be affected by pay inequality include racial and ethnic minorities, disabled people, young adults or senior citizens, transgender individuals, and immigrants from less developed countries. It is illegal to discriminate on basis of sex, age, ability, gender identity, race, or citizenship. Employers should strive to make their workplaces inclusive to all by providing individuals with equal pay for equal work.
References
Dreber, A., Heikensten, E., & Säve-Söderbergh, J. (2022). Why do women ask for less? Labour Economics, 78, 102204.
Dworkin, T. M., Schipani, C. A., Milliken, F. J., & Kneeland, M. K. (2018). Assessing the progress of women in corporate America: The more things change, the more they stay the same. American Business Law Journal, 55(4), 721-762.
William. (2018). Child social experiment looks at gender equality [Video]. YouTube. Web.