September 21, 2016

Dear Presidential Candidates,

The year 2059. That's the year when women will finally be getting paid the same as men in the workforce. Research at the Institute for Women’s Policy estimated that “women won’t receive equal pay until 2059.” Do you really think it should take that long for it to subside on its own? For over 56 years, men have been paid on average 21% more than women for the same job. It should not take that long for this issue to pan out, It should be resolved quicker than that. Women struggle everyday to pay for their families, or even just for themselves. Not to mention, women are twice as likely to live in poverty than men. Additionally, in 2014 the average yearly earning of a full time working women was $39,621 compared to the $50,383 that a full time working man earns in a year with the same job. Although there may be some other reasons, the gender wage gap is the main crucial reason why the poverty rate of women 65 years or older is 12.6%, compared to the poverty rate of men which is 7.4%. Trump, you say that you want women to be paid the same as men, and you’re all for women's rights. Although, you paid your female staffers an average of $4,500, while your male staff workers made an average of $6,000. America is known as “The Land of Opportunities.” Take a moment to think, is it really? It would be, yet the Gender Wage Gap makes people, explicitly women, question the opportunities in America today. Sure, women have opportunities, but do they have the same as men? I believe America should change. I want both genders to have equal pay and furthermore equal rights. One way you could start to work on solving this problem is not only to teach young girls and women about the gender wage gap, but both genders. This will help extend the knowledge for people in the U.S. For example, 7 out of 10 people think that men and women are paid the same in likewise jobs. However, in reality women only get 79% of what a man earns. We need to teach women to speak their voices and tell their bosses, tell their fellow workers, confront America, speak their voices about what needs to change. For over 5 decades, women have been not only fighting for equality in America, but in the workforce. As a potential president, you need to take in account that women need to be treated equally. You have the power to take a step forward and change the workforce, for the better.

Sincerely,

Riley Daugherty

Mrs.Belinda Strebel 7th Grade