Question

Describe how the earnings gap between men and women has evolved in recent decades.

Short answer

Women's participation in the labor market increased from 1971 to 2014.

Step-by-step solution

Definition

Gender wage gap: The difference between average male and female earnings expressed as a percentage of male earnings is a common way to quantify the gender wage gap..

Explanation

In the 1970s, the wage gap between men and women did not alter much, but it has shrunk since the 1980s.

Women began to join the paid workforce in increasing numbers in the mid- to late-twentieth century. As they entered the workforce, women began to improve their educational levels. From 1971 to 2014, the percentage of women with undergraduate college degrees, law degrees, and medical degrees increased. The income gap between men and women has narrowed as a result of these advancements in education and experience. Women, on the other hand, have yet to achieve a considerable share of leadership positions in the world's biggest corporations or in Congress. Women are more likely to be responsible for a disproportionately big percentage of household responsibilities. This sort of discrimination is rooted in America's social patterns of prejudice, rather than discrimination by employers in recruiting and wage decisions.

Conclusion

Therefore, women gain more value in the labor force and are able to perform more tasks than they previously could.