In the modern era wherein we usually talk about the gender equality, there are certain areas where the difference still remains as prominent as ever. Earning is one of them. The old shibboleth that women earn less than men is still young as there is a huge difference between the earnings of men and women.
There are many reasons behind this gap. First and foremost is gender bias. Women have traditionally been seen as good at cooking, cleaning and serving family members, and hence not as skilled as men in technical things. Men on the other side have been viewed as bread earners for family and people with “natural aptitude” for technical things. This created a huge difference in pay scales of men versus women and continues till date. A female driver or engineer is likely to earn far less than a male colleague in the same profession.
The other reason lies in the career decisions women make. A woman has to think about her career, family, children and all the household responsibilities before she comes to a decision. Whereas, a man just has to think about his professional success. Employers also pay accordingly to women because they know that somewhere down the line the woman will leave from work due to her household responsibilities. Although, this phenomenon has vanished to a large extent from organized sector due to labor laws but is still widely prevalent in unorganized sector.
If women are not bound with their family responsibilities, then researches show, they have earned more or at par with their male counterparts. According to an estimate, in US, a single female doctor without kids earns as much as 17% higher than their male counterparts.
According to some researches, the only sector which has come clean from this gender bias is not-for-profit sector where men and women are paid equally, on the basis of their skills and not on gender.
