The Psychology of Gender 4th Edition

(Tuis.) #1
Paid Worker Role and Health 461

HE’s having lunch with the boss.
He’s on his way up.
SHE’s having lunch with the boss.
They must be having an affair.
HE got an unfair deal.
Did he get angry?
SHE got an unfair deal.
Did she cry?
HE’s getting married.
He’ll get more settled.
SHE’s getting married.
She’ll get pregnant and leave.
HE’s having a baby.
He’ll need a raise.
SHE’s having a baby.
She’ll cost the company money in maternity benefits.
HE’s leaving for a better job.
He knows how to recognize a good opportunity.
SHE’s leaving for a better job.
Women are not dependable.

Source:Gardenswartz and Rowe (1994).

Pay Disparity


One form of treatment discrimination that is
well studied ispay disparity. In 1979, women
who worked full time earned 62% of men’s
median salary (U.S. Department of Labor,
2010c). In 2009, the comparable figure was
80%. The pay disparity is smaller for younger
women—93% for women between the ages
of 16–24 and 89% for women between the
ages of 25–34. The wage gap has historically
been and, as shown in Figure 12.9, is still
smaller among Blacks (94%) and Hispanics
(89%) than Whites (79%) and Asians (82%).
Calculating the wage gap is difficult:
Using weekly salaries neglects the fact that
women’s work week is shorter than men’s,

Asians White Black Hispanic

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

0

Male Female

Median Weekly Earnings in 2009

FIGURE 12.9 Men earn more than women
across all four ethnic groups, but the gap is larger
for Asians and Whites than Blacks and Hispanics.
Source: Adapted from U.S. Department of Labor
(2010c).

M12_HELG0185_04_SE_C12.indd 461 6/21/11 9:16 AM

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