GENDER PAY GAP
The focus of this paper is on interpreting social trends as related to demographics about women equal right in North American society
Identify GENDER GAP PAY through research a recent/significant trend with the group. Interpret this trend and support the interpretation with at least three factors.
This essay should follow APA formatting and academic conventions:
Must follow these rules, such as writing stage, patterns, and all the requirements in attachment!!!
Must use reliable and credible sources only! (government, university, credible journal, and book)!!!
• Carefully follow the writing stage, patterns, and all the requirements in the attachment.!!!
• Use APA formatting including a title page (no abstract needed)
• You should use APA documentation and cite ALL of your sources. Don’t forget about the citation for the information in the background paragraph.
• Include a References page with correct APA references.
• Your essay task should be 4 pages of writing and 1page of Statistical Analysis/Social Science Essay Planning Worksheet, double spaced. The writing should include an introduction, background paragraph, conclusion, and a minimum of three (3) body paragraphs.
• A minimum of 5 credible sources is required for this essay. Each body paragraph should have two pieces of evidence, including at least one statistic for each paragraph, and at least one illustrative example in the essay.
The Social Science/Statistics Essay:
The Social Science/Statistics Essay:
Writing Stage
Introduction (3-4 sentences)
You do not need a hook.
Follow the general introduction pattern.
Provide your THESIS.
Background Section (A=B)
Define your topic (Don’t forget this must be researched—you must provide credible citations)
Provide the basic characteristics of your demographic group (Don’t explain everything about the demographic or trend – only give characteristics that are relevant to your thesis)
If possible, include the data (statistics) that reveal the main trend you are analyzing.
If your essay is focused on causes, consider writing about effects here. If your essay is focused on effects consider discussing causes (If you aren’t sure what this is, don’t worry about it. We won’t cover cause/effect relationships in more detail until English 101).
B=C Transition Sentence (at the end of the background paragraph)
Add the key word – a synonym of the interpretation of the trend that you want to highlight
Body Paragraphs (3-5) – Explain your interpretation
• Assertion – key words from your thesis + a new specific key word
• Explanation – 1-2 sentences
• General Evidence
-introduce the source of your statistics – focus on credibility
-give your statistics and the citation
• Discussion
-add a transition word
-interpret the meaning of your statistics – connect to key words
• More Specific Evidence
(maybe more specific statistics, maybe an interpretation from an expert, maybe an example/story/case study) For the Social Science essay, you must include one illustrative example in the essay
• More Discussion
-transition
-interpret the meaning again
• Connection Sentence
Conclusion (3-4 sentences)
Summarize the trend. Try to explain in a fresh way.
Do not offer a solution to a problem.
Do not end with empty, general words
Thesis Statement
Step One: Choose your topic.
Step Two: Choose a perspective.
Step Three: Identify the main trend you want to emphasize
Step Four: Interpret the trend. Why do you think it has happened? What is the MAIN reason?
Step Five: Break down your idea into different factors to explain the idea. The following are common ways to do this:
• Specific causes
• Specific effects
• Specific categories
Thesis statement and introduction patterns:
Key Words: The key word relationship is as follows:
Topic Key Word = demographic (the group you are writing about)
Thesis Key Word = interpretation (the word describing the trend in relationship to the demographic)
Assertion Key Words= factors (the ideas you think that explain why the trend is happening).
Note: The trend IS NOT a key word. The trend is background information and the catalyst for the problem, but it is not the primary focus of the evidence and discussion for the essay. At the university level, this kind of essay is interpretive, not discriptive (it is focused on your explanation of how the trend influences the group).
One way to interpret social statistics/trend data
Though it is not the only way, one common (and simple) way to interpret social trends is to think of the positively/negatively.
Consider the demographic and trend you have identified. Do you think this trend is positive or negative for your group? What about for society as a whole?
IF POSITIVE ? Then positive interpretation (Posititve thesis key word, & Positive
evidence/discussion)
IF NEGATIVE ? Then negative interpretation (Negative thesis key word, & negative
evidence/discussion)
DON’T
Avoid overgeneralizations:
Avoid “always” and “never:”
Avoid “all:”
Avoid “causes:”
DO:
Use modal verbs like “could” and “might.” Remember that there could be different reasons for the numbers you see.
Use words like “possibly” or “probably.”
Use words like “tends to” or “tendency,” “correlates” or “correlation,” “relevant to” or “relates to” rather than “causes.”
Acknowledge that there are other interpretations and views.
Where to use hedging language:
Hedging language should be used in the discussion immediately after using statistics. It should NEVER be used in assertion/connection sentences, it should not be used after other types of evidence, though it can be used in explanation sentences.
Social Science Body Paragraph Pattern (Detailed)
Use the following paragraph pattern not only for the social statistics essay, but for all academic body paragraphs that you write!
Assertion: State what the paragraph will discuss/prove with the main interpretation (academic concept/word) from the thesis (thesis key word) and a key word (factor) from the roadmap (assertion key word).
Transition word/phrase (In more detail, More specifically, In other words)
Explanation: Explain the assertion in more detail, focusing on the assertion key word.
Transition word/phrase (According to, As¬¬¬______states/reports/indicates)
Evidence: Following the formula for giving statistical evidence, share paraphrased (not “quoted”) statistical evidence, make sure to introduce with credibility & methodology, and cite (Last name/organization, Year).
Transition word/phrase (This appears to suggest/indicates, This could indicate/suggest, This could possibly mean)
Discussion: Explain in your own words with hedging how the evidence supports the assertion/thesis. Can be more than one sentence.
Transition word/phrase (For example, For instance, In addition, Moreover,) + (According to, ______states/reports/highlights/suggests that)
Evidence: An illustrative example (follow the formula for introducing illustrative examples) or more specific than evidence above, make sure to introduce with sufficient context, paraphrase and/or “quote” cite (Last name/organization, Year).
Transition word/phrase (Clearly, This suggests/reveals/means/highlights that, For this reason, With this in mind,)
Discussion: Explain in your own words (no hedging) how the evidence proves/supports the assertion/thesis/evidence above. Can be more than one sentence.
Transition word/phrase (Therefore,/Thus,/Hence,/Consequently,)
Connection sentence: Using the interpretation (thesis key word) and the assertion key word (factor) from the roadmap (same key words from the assertion), summarize in one sentence how the paragraph proved the assertion/thesis
Writing Discussion Sentences with Hedging
Hedging language should always be used in the discussion sentences of a body paragraph following statistical evidence (but not other types of evidence, such as expert testimony or examples), and can also be used in the explanation sentences (but should not be used in assertion/connection sentences). To effectively hedge discussion sentences:
Use a Hedging Transition:
Instead of use transitions such as “With this in mind,” or “Clearly”, begin with a hedging transition. Some options include:
This appears to indicate that…, The evidence suggests that…, This could suggest that…,
This could possibly mean…
Use a Modal Verb:
Make sure to use modal verbs such as “might” or “could”
Include Additional Hedging Language:
Make sure to consider including additional hedging language in the rest of the discussion such as “possibly”, “probably”, “seems”, “tendency”, “un/likely”, “perhaps”, “presumably”.
Consider also writing discussion sentences that explore other interpretations of the data:
Searching For Statistics Online
Searching for statistics online can be difficult, so it is important to be methodical and selective in the way you search. The following are some tips that will help you search for trustworthy and unbiased statistics.
1. Choose your topic! It will not help you to just search for statistics, you must choose a topic first. For example, if you wanted to do a report on “Generation Y”, try doing a web search and learning as much as you can about this generation. Write down key words and remember information related to numbers such as the birth years that define this generation. Wikipedia articles and other non-academic writing are acceptable at this stage.
2. Narrow your topic by choosing a perspective! After choosing a topic you need to look at it from a certain perspective. You want to choose an aspect of the topic that is academic and would get statistical information (e.g. economic, political, religious, marketing, psychological, sociological, health). If you are stuck, try doing both a general web search and an academic article search through the university library database to find what other writers might be discussing about your topic.
3. Try an advanced web search. Good web search programs will have an advanced search function that will help you look for specific types of information using Boolean logic words (and, or, not). This will help you widen your search based on your key words.
Some other helpful terms for finding data include typing: your topic + “trend data”, or “data”, “market research”, “statistics”, “research reports”, “statistical analysis”.
4. Try official statistics websites. “Official statistics” are those produced by government departments and other public institutions such as international organizations like the UN. For example, Statistics Canada is Canada’s official statistics agency. There are also a few academic statistical associations such as the International Statistical Institute or the American Statistical Association that might provide helpful links and information. Official statistics are some of the best statistics that can be cited in an essay. REMEMBER: Official statistics searches often need to be searched using proper statistical terms. Therefore you will get few results using a term such as “Generation Y”, and should instead use terms such as “age” or “generational”. This is why compiling key words, synonyms, and official words are important!
5. Try recognized research organizations. There are a number of recognized and respected private research companies such as Pew Research Center, Gallup, Nielsen, IPSOS, Illuminas, and NDP Group. Often they will have access to recent articles that have used their information. Keep in mind, though, that many of these are for-profit companies so they may not give access to information without paying a fee.
Academic Perspective
Whenever you write an essay at the university, you should consider whether adding an academic perspective is useful for narrowing your topic and focusing your argument. The academic perspective is the “point of view”, based on an academic discipline (one branch of knowledge studied at the university), that you will take when you write about a problem.
Consider the trend that people in the world tend to be getting healthier and wealthier. This can be written upon from many different perspectives. What does this mean from an economic perspective? What about a political perspective? What about religious? What about health/medicine? What about psychology? Each branch of knowledge would consider the trend in a different way.
In a short essay, it is important to choose one perspective from which you will write. This will influence and change the key words you choose, the evidence you choose, and the discussion that you write.
Narrowing your perspective
This essay is about social science and statistical analysis. For this reason, the most obvious academic perspective that could be used is sociology. However, many essays might also include a second perspective, or focus more on another branch of knowledge than on sociology.
The most common (for social science) include the following:
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Politics/Political Science
- Religion
- Business (and its sub-branches)
- Economics
- Marketing
- Finance
- Communications
- Education
- Health/Medicine
Some of the above perspectives are often combined as a single word because of their close relationship. For instance, the socioeconomic, and the sociopolitical.
Which perspective will you choose for your essay? In a short essay (i.e. 3-10 pages), your perspective should be limited to only 1 or 2.
Writing Discussion Sentences with Hedging
Hedging language should always be used in the discussion sentences of a body paragraph following statistical evidence (but not other types of evidence, such as expert testimony or examples), and can also be used in the explanation sentences (but should not be used in assertion/connection sentences). To effectively hedge discussion sentences:
Use a Hedging Transition:
Instead of use transitions such as “With this in mind,” or “Clearly”, begin with a hedging transition. Some options include:
This appears to indicate that…, The evidence suggests that…, This could suggest that…,
This could possibly mean…
Use a Modal Verb:
Make sure to use modal verbs such as “might” or “could”
Include Additional Hedging Language:
Make sure to consider including additional hedging language in the rest of the discussion such as “possibly”, “probably”, “seems”, “tendency”, “un/likely”, “perhaps”, “presumably”.
Consider also writing discussion sentences that explore other interpretations of the data:
While August 26th is celebrated as Women’s Equality Day, it is difficult to comprehend that which is being celebrated, since there is still much that needs to be done. The disparity in terms of pay, across the genders is pronounced and although there is definite progress towards its reduction, the country is far from reaching the mark. North America is as such, not an exception. The gender pay gap is so pervasive that it plagues even the world’s most gender-neutral country. Iceland.
August 26th, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed. The amendment, in turn, gave women the right to vote. However, decades late, this equality has not effectively permeated through different sectors. Of particular importance to this discussion is the gender wage gap. The position taken by this analysis is that while the positive strides have been acknowledged, too little has been achieved as far as the closing of the gender wage gap is concerned (Farrell, 2015). This unimpressive progress has been the culmination of various socio-economic factors and has hurt the economy. To put matters into perspective, the following in-depth discussion conceptualizes the gender wage gap by the ratio, ethnic factors, and academic achievement.
For every dollar that a man makes in North America, a woman makes an average of 80 cents only. This statistic is according to a study conducted by the American Association of University Women. It profoundly puts into perspective the concept of the gender pay gap. As will be seen in the following sections of this discussion, there much more to this statistic than meets the eye. Important to underscore is the fact that the gender wage gap is not a unique problem to North America or American in general. It is a serious global problem that needs to be addressed.
Racial and ethnic factors also uniquely shape the trend in gender gap pay. While there already exists disparity in terms of how much less women are paid compared to their male counterparts, the problem is worsened by race. On average, women make 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. However, black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar non-Hispanic white males make. The statistics do not favor Latinas either. Latina women make on average, 54 cents per dollar earned by non-Hispanic white males (Brinlee, 2018). Gender gap pay is adversely affected by the sociocultural issues of race.
It is the expectation of many that as academic achievement increases, the pay increases. The finding made is that women earning degrees are not, in turn, winning more on the job. The gender gap is even wider for higher levels of education. The Center for American Progress for instance indicated that after enrollment in college, men working for six years earned $4,000 more than women working for ten years (Haveman, 2016). The implication is that this does not give women the incentive to study in order to improve their pay. On the same note, a survey by the Women’s policy research highlighted that women with college degrees experienced the broadest gender gap. Precisely, they earned 69 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts made (Brinlee, 2018).
This discussion has clearly illustrated that there is the disparity in pay by gender. The question that begs is on the factors that lead to this disparity. The statistics could be explained by unconscious bias in the workplace. Other factors that contribute to the gap are inconsistent pay practices, and most importantly, the sociocultural behavior of considering men at a better place than women. This is a deeply ingrained attitude problem that needs to be addressed to realize progress.
Closing the gender wage gap is inherent. The need to close this gap goes over and beyond trying to achieve fairness. The underlying fact is that the gender wage gap has a significant impact on the economy. If the current rate of progress is anything to go by, the United States might not be in a position to close the gender wage gap until 2059, three decades from now (Dishman, 2018). This trend is referenced from the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee.
The deduction is that as it takes more time to close this wage gap, the economy equally continues to lose more and more. The impact on the economy is profound. It implies that if the gender wage gap is closed, the average working North American woman would be able to afford an extra year of tuition, an additional year and a half for food, or a year of childcare (Dishman, 2018). This illustration highlights not just the impact of the gender wage gap on the economy, but also the extent of disparity.
Ninety-five years since the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution and North America, like the rest of the country, is grappling with serious issues of the gender wage gap. It is a concerning state of affairs that there is still disproportionate pay on the basis of gender. This discussion has taken certain critical aspects into account; the overall ratio, academic achievement, and ethnicity. Across the board, there is a worrying trend on how women are paid less on average, compared to their male counterparts. The gender wage gap is experienced in the workplace environment in politics and education (Higgins & Regan, 2016). Based on the deductions made by this paper, this socioeconomic issue needs to be taken more seriously and a solution sought. Indeed, this is not what was envisioned by the founding fathers.
Equal Pay Day may be the most opportune moment to call attention to the gender wage gap. This is more so as the one-hundred-year mark draws close. However, Equal Pay Day is also a time for action. It is the best time for legislators to be reminded that action needs to be taken to close the gender wage gap for North American states. It is an opportune time to call for an update to the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The region is over and beyond a time of passivity. Instead, call to action is necessary and ripe, should the dream of equal pay ever be realized.
References
Brinlee, M. (2018, April 10). 11 Gender Wage Gap Statistics That Will Scare The Crap Out Of You. Retrieved from Bustle: https://www.bustle.com/p/11-gender-wage-gap-statistics-that-will-scare-the-crap-out-of-you-8702089
Dishman, L. (2018, April 10). This Is The Impact Of Gender Wage Gap. Retrieved from Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/40556360/this-is-the-impact-of-gender-wage-gap
Farrell, W. (2015). Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap–and what Women Can Do about it. American Management Association.
Haveman, R. H. (2016). Earnings Inequality: The Influence of Changing Opportunities and Choices. AEI Press.
Higgins, M., & Regan, M. (2016). The Gender Wage Gap. ABDO.
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