Equal Pay Gap- Social Justice

Running head: EQUAL PAY GAP- SOCIAL JUSTICE 1

Name

Institution

EQUAL PAY GAP- SOCIAL JUSTICE 2

Designing a Research

Review of relevant literature

Women earn 10 percent less compared to men despite holding over half of the federal

and state jobs. Among government workers making $100,000, 73 percent are men across the 50

states (Snow & Vinokurov, 2018). Although critics of equal pay gap debate posit that is a

misinterpreted myth, there are diverse literature and arguments addressing the concern of gender

pay gap. The average pay for women in full employment is an equivalent of 80 percent of their

counterpart men. Based on an analysis of the statistics, it is estimated that women engage in free

work for 10 weeks every year.

Opponents of the pay gap debate attribute the differences to professional choices fronted

by women, contrary to the often-attributed reason of discrimination. A report by Xaquín (2017)

explored the claim that women’s choice of low-paying jobs is a critical contributing factor to the

wide gap in payment between them and men. In essence, occupational sorting is a highlighted a

critical factor responsible for the gender pay gap as supported by the 2016 Glassdoor Salary Data

(Chamberlain, 2016).

Xaquín (2017) presented a wage comparison among women and men in different

professions. The study notes that for registered nurses (men earn $33.67 against $31.39 for

women per hour), Architects (men earn $34.79 against $28.68 for women per hour), finance

managers (men earn $39.23 against $26.47 for women per hour), engineers (men earn $40.99

against $37.50 for women per hour), and education administrators (men earn $32.57 against

$26.26 for women per hour).

There are occupations that are male-dominated including architecture and engineering.

Education, however, has not proven a critical determinant or dominant factor on the choice of a

EQUAL PAY GAP- SOCIAL JUSTICE 3

profession among men and women (Horowitz & Parker & Stepler, 2017). It is notable, however,

that the gap reduces in occupations where there are more women compared to men in

comparison to those in which men dominate.

Another argument that has been set to justify the gender pay discrimination is women’s

choice of part-time work. Notably, a significant share of women choose part-time work. This

group of women work less than 35 hours every week. Besides, women often apply for career

breaks longer than men. While only 69 percent of women work full-time, a notable 82 percent of

men are engaged in full-time work. Contrastingly, only 18 percent of men work part-time

compared to 31 percent of women who chose part-time work. This trend has been attributed to

social concepts including policies related to parental leaves and familial roles among women and

men. Age is another contributing factor to the pay gap.

Research questions that expand upon the conclusions in the literature

The following research questions will be applicable to this study:

i. What is the influence of an employee's occupation on equal pay gap?

ii. What is the influence of the industry in which an employee works on equal pay gap?

iii. What is the influence of an employee’s work schedule on equal pay gap?

Design of the study

Independent Variables

Occupation of the respondent

The first independent variable in the study is the occupation. The study will focus on five

occupations: registered nurses (in the Health and Social Care Industry), Architects (in the real

estate industry), finance managers (in the finance and insurance industry), engineers (in the

manufacturing industry), and education administrators (in education industry).

EQUAL PAY GAP- SOCIAL JUSTICE 4

Industry

The industry is a key determinant of the gender pay gap. This study will outline the

influence of different industries: Health and Social Care, real estate, finance and insurance

industry, manufacturing, and education industries.

Work Schedule Basis (Full or Part-Time)

Respondents may have chosen a suitable work schedule for themselves, either part-time

or full-time. The study will determine the influence of work schedule on the pay of every

respondent.

Dependent Variables

Pay differences (per hour)

The respondents’ occupation, industry and work schedule influence their wages. The

dependent variable in the study, therefore, is the pay differences (per hours) as observed from the

studies.

Measuring Instruments

Using of Cronbach alpha coefficient will be ideal to ensure the data is reliable if the

coefficient measures between 0 and 1. The validity of questionnaires will be tested by comparing

it to those employed in similar studies that are published.

Sampling Data

The study will adopt stratified sampling technique. The population will be divided into

different (five) groups (strata). In every strata, a simple random sample will be conducted to

draw a sample from each group. The population will be divided into five groups of industries:

Health and Social Care, real estate finance, finance and insurance, manufacturing industry and

education industry. For every stratum (industry), simple random sampling will be conducted to

EQUAL PAY GAP- SOCIAL JUSTICE 5

achieve 1000 respondents (professionals in the industry). The study will sample 5,000 salary

reports as provided by the respondents from selected professions in each industry. This will be

randomly spread across the 50 states.

Collection Methods

Data will be collected using questionnaires administered online. Conducting online

questionnaires administered to target group is ideal because it reaches a large group of

respondents.

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References

Chamberlain, A. (March 23, 2016). Demystifying the Gender Pay Gap: Evidence from Glassdoor

Salary Data. Glassdoor. Retrieved April 22, 2018 from

https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/gender-pay-gap/

Horowitz, J.M. & Parker, K. & Stepler, R. (October 18, 2017). Wide Partisan Gaps in U.S. Over

How Far the Country Has Come on Gender Equality. Pew Research Center. Retrieved

April 22, 2018 from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/10/18/wide-partisan-gaps-in-

u-s-over-how-far-the-country-has-come-on-gender-equality/#women-have-made-gains-

in-the-labor-force-while-men-have-seen-losses-still-inequality-persists

Snow, S. & Vinokurov. M. (Feb, 8, 2018). Women earn 10% less than men in America's public

sector, analysis shows. The Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2018 from

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/08/gender-pay-gap-america-public-

sector

Xaquín, G.V. (Oct. 26, 2017). Can we talk about the gender pay gap? The Washington Post.

Retrieved April 22, 2018 from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/business/women-pay-

gap/?utm_term=.320b8766f864

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