Dear Mr. or Mrs. President,

It has come to my attention that there is a wage gap between men and women. Just because I am a girl doesn’t mean I should be paid less than a boy. This can and will affect many women, but the women it will affect the most are women of color and women with different ethnicities. For example, in 2015, Hispanic or Latina women earned 92% of what men were paid, African American women earned 90% of what men were paid, white, non- Hispanic women earned 76% of what men were paid, Asian women were paid 81% of what men were paid, Native Hawaiian and other pacific islanders earned 84% of what men were paid and lastly American Indian and Alaska Natives earned 87%of what men were paid. If these women have children to take care of and are working with a job where men make more than the women, how can they support their families, buy enough food, clothing, and keep a house? To me it sounds like a lot of struggle and work.

I have also found out that no matter the race or ethnicity, a woman with a good education improves her earnings. But there is a problem; some women can’t afford collage or to get a degree. For example, if a woman has less than a high school diploma, they are paid 80% of what men are paid. If a woman is a high school graduate, she will earn 77% of what men are paid. If a woman earns some college or associate degree, she will be paid 75% of what men are paid. If a woman has earned a bachelor’s degree, she will earn 75% of what men are paid. Lastly, if a woman has earned an advanced degree she will earn 74% of what men are paid, but from less than a high school diploma to an advanced degree, the money made does increase but there is still a large wage gap between the two genders. And those numbers are only from 2015. What about now? By the end of the year, who knows if the wage gap will change?

My idea to fix the wage gap is to raise the amount of money women are paid so it is even to the amount men are paid because women can do exactly what men can do. Just because they’re a different gender doesn’t mean they should be paid any less. What can you do to change it?

Sincerely,

Annabelle C.