Name: Alina Morton

Mr. Smith
English Period 1
1 September 2016

My Inquiry Project Proposal

Topic of Inquiry (social issue affecting America):

Womens rights: Wage Gap
Guiding Question(s):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Why is there a significant gap between men, white women, and women of color?
Is it okay to use the term Like a girl?
Is the wage gap getting better or worse? What will it be like in the future?
How can we educate others about gender equality?
How does gender equality in the US differ from other countries around the world?

Rationale (or explanation for why you want to study this topic all semester):
I want to study this topic because this is something that deeply concerns me and my
future. Why should women like me feel like we can never equate to a man? Why should I
have to work just as hard as a male in the same position as me and not get the same
amount of pay? Why should I have to hear males ignorantly throw around the phrase
like a girl as an insult? I want to learn more about gender bias and how its affecting this
country, and if theres anything that can be done to stop it.
Summary (of what you already know about the topic at beginning of your inquiry):
I know that theres a huge gap between what both men and women are paid. White
women are paid 70 cents while a man with the same job would get a dollar for it. Black
women get paid even less, around 60 cents. Hispanic women get paid the least, 57
cents.
Prediction (about what you think you will discover or hope to discover during your study):
I hope to discover why it is that men and women are paid different wages and if the gap
is getting better or worse. I also hope to discover what predictions have already been
made for the future on whether or not there will be gender equality, not just in pay but in
all aspects of life.

Titles and Authors of books to read (and Genres):

1. Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference

by Cordelia Fine
Genre: Neuroscience and Social Science
2. The Gendered Society by Michael Kimmel
Genre: Social Psychology
Discussion (of the relevance of this topic in a bigger context i.e., the so what?):
For hundreds of years weve always had one superior gender: males. And with our
society constantly changing and progressing I wouldve thought that being in the year
2016, there would be no bias against genders anymore. I think its important I study this
because I feel that womens rights are often brushed off and not made of as big of a deal
as it should be. I think I can use this topic to not only educate myself, but to educate
others.

Other Sources (websites, films, publications, articles you will consult for more
information on your topic):
un.org and unfpa.org are great websites and are very reliable, the whole existence of
these websites are to educate and inform us about the inequalities between men and
women.