More women are graduating college than men, but that doesn't change the fact that they also carry more responsibilities at home, yet they still earn just 75 cents to every dollar men earn.
Women's Week at Ball State not only provides a way for students to learn how to empower women, but also brings up controversial issues such as pay differences between men and women. According to a recent White House report, women have a high lead on both undergraduate and graduate degrees, yet they make about 75 percent of what men do.
Kim Hennessee, instructor of sociology, said women want the extra pay to be equal with men, but other obligations interfere with that.
"We still have that social expectation for women to organize where the kids are going to be and primarily taking care of the child care issues at home," she said. "It isn't because they don't want the pay, but there is still that expectation that women have to be mothers first and workers second."
A 2010 report by Catalyst, a research company devoted to working women, said in a professional occupation, the median weekly earnings for women is $1,258, while the median weekly earnings for men is $1,758.
Lisa Pellerin, associate professor of sociology, said the reason women make less is they don't aspire towards the same high paying roles men do. She said this could be because they don't want to be in a male dominated field away from their female friends, or their home lives don't allow enough flexibility to take on a more demanding position.
President Barack Obama appointed the Council for Women and Girls to study the issue, digging deeper than the stereotypes of education and income. It also considers gender inequalities surrounding employment, family roles and crime.
"Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being" said the data collected by the Council of Women and Girls affects everyone.
"When President Obama signed the Executive Order creating the Council on Women and Girls, he noted that the issues facing women today ‘are not just women's issues,'" the study said. "When women make less than men for the same work, it impacts families who then find themselves with less income and often increased challenges in making ends meet."
Two of the larger issues lie between education and income. As of 2008, women earned 57 percent of college degrees, yet the pay discrepancy still exists.
According to the report by the Council for Women and Girls, the number of women working during recessive times even rose above the number of men working.
Perllerin said the reasons vary from women not being ambitious with their job goals to women being the primary caretaker of their households.
Adam McLachlan, administrative coordinator of women and gender studies, said stereotypes may also be affecting income restraints on women.
"I would say that there is a definite possibility a lot of people still assume women aren't the head of household, so they don't need the income that a lot of men would," he said. "Generally the positions that are filled by a lot of women are socialized to go into more service oriented roles - nonprofit, teacher, nurses - that is still kind of a standard."
The Council for Women and Girls study showed 4 percent more women were at a poverty level at retirement age than men. The statistics show the outcome of women getting paid less from the time they leave college affects them for the rest of their lives, including on poverty levels.
The report also proved the stereotype that women are generally better at English and reading courses while men are better at math. While the study showed men are catching up with women as far as English studies go, women are not reciprocating by catching up with men.
Senior women and gender studies and magazine journalism major Brandi Terry said she believes the key to equalizing men and women could be found through education.
"There needs to be more education to help women and men be equal across the board," she said. "That's why we still need things like the women's studies major. There is this myth that women are equal, but they are clearly not."
Perllerin said while women need to take the initiative, employers also need to step up to make their work environments more equal between genders.
"In terms of what employers can do if they want to have talented women throughout occupations in their organization, they need to make sure all workers have access to child care, health insurance, flexible [child] leave policies so workers can make decisions about their employment without being constrained," she said.
By the Numbers
2,319 female Ball State faculty, staff and graduate assistants
1,929 male Ball State faculty, staff and graduate assistants
9,576 female Ball State full-time students
8,715 male Ball State full-time students
- Information from the Ball State Academic Assessment of Institutional Research
Women's Week Events
Thursday
4 to 6 p.m. Atrium Art Gallery
Nina B. Marshall Memorial Women Faculty and Student Art Exhibit and reception celebrating "Life Marked"
7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Music Instruction Building Choral Hall
Women of Song II
Friday
Noon to 2 p.m. Student Center Ballroom
Naptown Roller Derby and Cornfed Derby Dames
9 p.m. to midnight The Silo in Downtown Muncie
Women's Night Out at The Silo - The Good Night Fields performing
Saturday
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fine Arts Building Room 217
Bollywood and Introduction to Improvisation Workshops with Middle Eastern dancer Samira Shuruk Workshop 1
2 to 4 p.m. Fine Arts Building Room 217
Bollywood and Introduction Workshops 2 and 3
7 to 10 p.m. Fine Arts Building Room 217
Belly Dance Hafla
Read More
The eyes and ears of the David Owsley Museum of Art
By Madelyn Bracken / 2 days agoThe David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) doesn’t only house art. For many Ball State University students, it houses opportunity. Graduate and social media assistant, and former DOMA intern and guard, Taylor Hamblin spent the past two years working at the museum surrounded with possibilities to further her career while at Ball State.
Center for Peace offers academic opportunities
By Meghan Braddy and Grayson Joslin / 3 days agoOver the years, the center has offered a peace studies minor, conflict resolution training and grant funding.
AP: New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction
By Staff Reports / 3 days agoNew York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case, according to the Associated Press (AP).
