September 21, 2016

Dear Presidential Candidates,

The USA is called the Land of Opportunities. However, if women don’t earn the same wages or have the same rights as men, what is the definition of opportunity? 96% of the population think that the ERA has passed. Well, the remaining 4% of the population is right, it hasn’t.

Trump, if you claim you can make America great again, why don’t you start by giving women the equal rights and pay they deserve? Nearly half of the workforce is made up of women, but still they get paid 79% of what their male counterparts make. Did you know nearly half of women are the sole source of income for their families, and due to their low wages their family is on the brink of poverty?

During the Problem Solvers Convention, you stated to a female audience member that “You’re gonna make the same if you do as good as a job.” You assume women make less because they don’t put in the same effort as men. What about a single mother with a family to take care of? She works as hard as her male counterpart, but still can’t make the same amount of money. You assumed that this woman doesn’t work “as good”. That’s an appalling assumption.

Johnson was asked whether the male and female worker should be paid equal for the same job, his answer was "No". He thought there were other variables such as education, experience, and tenure that determine a fair salary. I disagree with this statement. Records show, despite of everything being equal, women still get paid less. In many fields, half of the PhDs are woman, but ¾ of tenured professors are male. This is extremely discriminatory.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The US could be the country with equal pay, and equal rights for all genders. Male and Female. This could make us powerful, not weak.

Though it may seem impossible for the wage gap to vanish, there are many solutions to solve this important issue today. First, we must raise more awareness about the gap in general. If we don't voice our opinions, we will never have them heard. The more we talk about it, the more motivated we will be in closing the gap. Also, we could raise the overall minimum wage. About ⅔ of minimum paying jobs are occupied by women, and many of these women are struggling to make ends meet. Additionally, access to affordable childcare would allow women to work longer hours. This would prevent employers to assume women are not ambitious or deserving of promotions, just because they take time off for their families.

As the potential next president of the USA you have the ability to fight for the laws you want, especially for the women who have been fighting since 1848 for their equality, primarily in the workforce.

I agree. Let's make America great again. Let’s start with closing the gender wage gap.

Sincerely,

Izma Casubhoy