Women working full time in the United States are typically paid only 79 percent of what men are paid—a gap of a whopping 21 percent—which would be a big problem for me if I actually had a job. I mean, it’s 2016! Women should be getting equal pay as men, which is something I would be personally enraged about if any of the 11 places I applied to would just give me an interview.
It’s simple: Equal pay, equal work; please give me work.
I read that the gender pay gap is even worse for mothers and only grows with age, which is certainly cause for anger. But right now all my anger is going toward my potential employers, who are overlooking my determination, experience, and charming personality. I’m fluent in two languages and have three years of customer service experience, plus my only weakness is that I can’t finish a task until it’s done well. Think of all the jobs I could be unfairly underpaid to do! I’m talking to you, TGI Friday’s! Seriously? Not even a call?!
At the current rate of improvement, it’s said that the gender pay gap may not close for more than 100 years. And if I were employed I would have the opportunity to passionately inform others of this based on my personal experience. It’s crazy that the wage gap hasn’t really changed in the past decade but it’s even crazier that most of these companies won’t even send me a rejection email! I applied months ago— come on, Barnes & Noble, the least you could do is tell me I didn’t get the job.
There are also hidden impacts of the gender pay gap, like how it gives women a greater struggle to pay off their college debt than men have. But without any job at all, I have the greatest struggle to pay off my loans out of anyone! I’d be right on the frontlines talking about how difficult it is to escape my debt, but unfortunately Jamba Juice told me I’m not a “culture fit” so I don’t have any coworkers to compare my earnings with. Should I try to go back to school, or would my class schedule conflict with my babysitting shifts? Once every three months when their other sitter is busy is too good to pass up!
I’m a feminist and believe that women are equal to men. And as soon as any employer hires me to do anything, I’ll finally feel everyone’s pain about the gender pay gap.
