In order to fully understand the plight of the wage gap in the United States, one must first be able to accurately define the term wage gap. The gender pay gap refers to the difference in income between men and women. This wage gap is just one of many indicators of the presence of gender inequalities in labor market participation. We need to be able to clearly differentiate between a gender pay gap and overall income inequality. There are many factors that produce a pay gap, but for it to qualify as a gender pay gap, there must be clear evidence to suggest that there has been a direct influence by factors directly related to the gender pay gap. gender of a person. This article discusses the progressive era in women's rights that began in the 1970s and continues to this day (Goldin, 2006). The document not only discusses the changes in opportunities for women, but also provides context on the different stages of evolution that women endured until the revolution (Goldin, 2006). The Quiet Revolution stood out from the previous three phases of change because change was created through the introduction of dynamic decision-making rather than decisions based solely on statistics. This document is extremely important because it illustrates that although conditions have improved for women; there is still a notable pay advantage favoring men (Goldin, 2006). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Gender inequality in the workforce has grown throughout history. At first, women were not even allowed to hold jobs. Men were instead seen as the providers of the household and women assumed all the maternal tasks of the household. This article explains how the expectations and participation of women in the workforce have changed over the years (Goldin, 2006). The first stage of evolution was known as the “self-employed stage”; this lasted between the late 19th century and the 1920s. “They were often pieceworkers in manufacturing or worked in the service sector as domestic servants and laundresses” (Goldin, p. 13). This stage consisted primarily of young, single women who worked in industrial and domestic positions due to the need for men to join the battlefield of World War I. A 15.5% increase in the labor productivity of married women was a direct cause of this revolutionary phase. The third stage saw an increase in the number of women in pink-collar positions such as secretaries, nurses and librarians. A much more elastic labor supply was present during this phase, which made the economy much more responsive to changes in wages. Educational opportunities became more available to women during this phase, however, a large majority of them went to college in search of a spouse rather than having a primary goal of get an education. “The decades of Phase III were marked by a great expansion of the female labor force and also by immense advances in the modern labor economy” (Goldin, p. 7). Goldin's main argument is that the growth in women's labor force participation is due to changes in various areas. factors such asfemale horizons, identities and average age of marriage. In her own words, Goldin refers to the term "horizon" in the sense that it represents what a woman perceived her lifetime participation in the workforce to be at that point in time and whether it would be for a short period or longer . “By broadened horizons, I mean that women anticipated their future professional lives more precisely” (Goldin, p. 8). These three phases of revolutionary change preceded the main phase of evolution known as the “Quiet Revolution.” This revolution differed from the previous three phases because it was brought about by the presence of dynamic decision-making rather than decision-making based solely on statistics. New technologies such as the introduction of contraceptive technology have influenced the rate of female labor force participation. Birth control pills reduced the number of babies which allowed women to prioritize work and education opportunities. According to the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) cited by Goldin (2006), women were optimistic about their opportunities during this phase. This revolution marked the major push for equality in the workplace for women. They were receiving education at almost the same rate as men, and women's rights had become a topic in the mainstream media. Working conditions have improved for women, but there remains a wage disparity between men and women. This article will examine empirical data such as the United States Department of Labor report that details how men's and women's earnings compare over the past 5 to 6 decades. This data will be analyzed to determine whether the new laws and policies introduced have benefited women in the workforce. This report from the U.S. Department of Labor analyzes the reasons for the income disparity between men and women in our country. The report uses data not only to directly analyze income disparity, but also to take an in-depth look at the factors that affect this disparity. Factors studied include the effects of having a child, the tendency of women to work more part-time than men, and the fact that women value more family-friendly workplaces more than men. This report also takes into account the individual choices people tend to make and how they may impact their gross pay. In his book Rewriting the American Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz challenges readers with the question "Can the rules of the American economy be changed to benefit everyone , not just to the rich? (Stiglitz, page 8). This question calls into question the overall presence of salary inequalities in the country; The richest 1% of earners in the country account for 85% of the country’s income growth. Stiglitz answers the research question by stating that there is an opportunity to change the rules to benefit everyone. He states: “The current situation is a bleak picture of a world gone wrong” (p. 4). He refers to the failure of policies and activities that allowed the economy to reach this point: "We did not reach this low point overnight, but rather an accumulation of inefficient practices such as weak regulation and financial supervision, a focus on the short term rather than the short term. long-term growth that rewarded shareholders more than the average household. (p. 5). Although the..127)