Did you know that white women earn 82 cents for every dollar a white man earns, while black and Hispanic women earn only 65 and 58 cents on the dollar, respectively? Do you know that a teacup pig earns as little as zero cents for every dollar a man earns? I bet you didn’t, because I am a teacup pig and nobody ever bothers to fucking ask how I feel about the wage gap.
While great strides have been made in workplace equality, it’s still hard to earn what you deserve if you are not a straight, white, cis man. Honestly, I am sick and tired of being paid less than men, just because I am a six-week-old micropig who lives on a farm upstate, wears tiny hats and sleeps indoors.
The thing the world needs to realize is that every time a man reaches soaring levels of success, there is a hardworking woman of color doing the same job for less money, while I’m just wearing this tiny hat for literally no money at all.
Some people claim the wage gap is a myth; blaming it on women’s “choice” to have children, which completely ignores the many social forces at play that cause some groups to earn more than others. As a teacup pig who is not expected to grow any taller than 14 inches, reproduction just isn’t in the cards – yet I’m still earning 100% less than men? Call me crazy, but I’m wearing a tiny pair of red rain boots and I’m fed up with this bullshit.
Aside from the structural forces that cause women to earn less, women are less likely to ask for what they deserve, while men are more likely to apply to positions for which they are underqualified. As an adorable teacup pig who is often wheeled around in a wagon or forced to take baths in a kitchen sink, I too understand the discomfort that comes with asking for what you deserve. That’s something I’m working on personally, but doesn’t take away from the fact that there is a man out there who was brazen enough to ask for the corner office and six weeks’ vacation while I’m still sitting here at a tiny picnic table licking the tiniest ice cream cone.
It’s time for the world to wake up and realize that while Joe Privilege might be making six figures in his white-collar job, I am way down here, making far less than any of you, and please look down when you’re walking or you will step on me.
