Economic Sexism
If you’ve been keeping track of the radical feminist movement that has been sweeping the world in the 21st century, just like I have, you might have heard about the pink tax and the wage gap. In almost every single career that is available in America today, something called the “wage gap” exists. The wage gap operates like this: let’s say you have a white man, a white woman, an Asian woman, a Black woman, and a Hispanic woman all working in the exact same job. When the white man earns x amount of dollars, the Asian woman will earn 97% of x, the white woman will earn 80% of x, the Black woman will earn 66% of x, and the Hispanic woman will earn 58% of x.
To be more precise, when a man earns 1 dollar, a woman earns 78 cents. The wage gap can cause women to become financially dependent on welfare in later years, which can make them less likely to progress as far in their careers as a man would and it can also make them more likely to enter some sort of financial problem than a man. Now, some of you might be asking, “Why does the wage gap exist? Why can’t people just end it?” Well, the answer is simple — it’s because of the blatant discrimination that exists in our society’s economy today, stemming from the deep roots of misogyny and racism.
To be more precise, when a man earns 1 dollar, a woman earns 78 cents.
The pink tax isn’t as well known as the wage gap, but it affects women in the exact same way the wage gap does. The pink tax is a special kind of tax that’s placed on women’s products, that even though might be the exact same as men’s products, women use it so, therefore, the women’s product is taxed higher. For example, your average girl’s scooter costs around $50 while your average boy’s scooter costs $25, and your average men’s tee costs $12 while a women’s tee costs $40. Again, you might ask “Why does this pink tax exist? Why couldn’t Congress just pass laws banning unfair tax?” And again, the answer is the same — it’s because of the clear discrimination that exists against women in current society. The wage gap already puts women at a disadvantage, but the pink tax is more like a slam to their knees to lower their purchasing power and also decrease their presence in our country’s economy.
And again, the answer is the same — it’s because of the clear discrimination that exists against women in current society.
Both the pink tax and the wage gap have been around for 80 years, or ever since World War II, where women were needed to help support America’s then destabilizing economy. Demands were made by women to have equal pay, but the misogynistic, sexist men of those times neglected and ignored them. From this, things like the pink tax and wage gap came about, in a desperate attempt to prevent women of the next generation from having a massive grip on America’s economy (as the population of women surpasses men by around 7 million).
So is it safe to assume that women aren’t being treated equally not just in our society, but in our economy too? Yes. Can we ever overcome it? Maybe, maybe not. Right now, while women are being more progressive with their actions following the newfound blast of feminism in the 21st century, some (read: most) men are being misogynistic and refusing to acknowledge women’s rights, which is causing things like the pink tax and the wage gap to occur in our economy. But while all of this misogyny and sexism continues to go on in nearly every part of America, we have to keep on fighting, just like we are right now, for women’s rights. We need to continue fighting so that someday, the girls, boys, and every child of the next generation can live in the world we have always dreamed of.
An equal one.
