Salary Inequality in the Workplace - when do men still earn more Research Paper

Salary Inequality in the Workplace - when do men still earn more - Research Paper Example Despite the theories, there is no concrete evidence as to why salary inequality is still a problem, suggesting that the disparity is a social problem with a very hidden agenda to satisfy the needs of a patriarchic work environment. Why do Men Earn More? Allyn (2003) suggests that men earn more than their female counterparts due to the return on investment achieved through education. According to an empirical study, education is geared more to provide men with better understanding of computer systems. Thus, when men and women enter the workforce, men who receive complimentary benefits are assumed to have a better knowledge base associated with technology usage, giving them a salary advantage (Allyn 2003). Under this assumption, salary disparity between the different sexes is a product of the educational system and the provision of knowledge associated with technology. Is this a rational explanation for the aforementioned inequality? If so, one could easily blame the administration in today’s colleges and universities for not creating a diverse curriculum that provides men and women with the same quality learning outcomes. It is likely that many educators and administrators in the teaching environment would strongly argue against Allyn’s study results, suggesting that there are ample and equal opportunities for both female and male students in the schools’ attempts to provide identical learning systems. Many universities, today, make it part of their ethical policies to ensure uniform educational methods that provide equivalent instruction and coaching that facilitates scholarship for both sexes. Thus, if Allyn’s findings are accurate, there must be bias within the educational system that prevents women from attaining the knowledge in technology necessary to achieve equalized pay upon graduation. However, with no concrete research evidence, this is only speculation. Connell (1997) indicates that the salary disparity between men and wom en is quite simple: it is the product of a long-standing patriarchic society that was built by men and sustained by men, thus reducing opportunities for women to advance equally. Since the majority of executives in the business environment are male, there is the assumption that a patriarchic hegemony (domination) resides at the highest levels of the organization. Any attempts to undo the male-dominated workforce would therefore, under this theory, lead to backlash or even sabotage when women attempt to exert their own supremacy (Connell, 1997). Anyone in society with a thoughtful mind could surely support the notion that the workforce as it is known today was built on male governance. The vast majority of businesspersons in history were male, therefore creating authority and control systems in the business world borne of male-generated policy and procedure. It was quite rare in yesteryear for a woman to expand their education and knowledge in order to attain a position of prominence in the business organization. In this time period, it was commonplace for women to maintain a role as housewife and mother, sustaining the household as a reward for receipt of male earnings. This was the foremost role of women until the 1940s, but this mentality was altered in the 20th Century as