ASSIGNMENT TWO

SOC 3293.01

Write a letter to your future self. Date the letter May 1, 2037. The letter can focus on any aspect of
gender we have discussed (family, education, occupation, media etc). Your letter must be Sociological in
nature and not your personal opinions.

A. Detail what the gender issues are in 2037. This is where I want your creativity in looking in to the
future. Give reasons why you believe this is the case. Example, In 2037, the income gap between men
and women has.because of

B. Discuss what changes, relative to gender, have occurred since 2017. Use your book and lecture notes
to back this section up (citations). Example, Back in 2017, the income gap was pretty astounding
because.

C. Discuss what things, relative to gender, have remained the same since 2017.

D. Must be between 750-1000 words. Only the words in the letter count!!!

E. Put your information at the end of the letter (name, abc 123) and sign your name. Do not put a
header or the class information on the letter.

Ex: Sincerely,

(signature goes here)

Joanne Ford-Robertson (aye543)

 May 1st, 2037
Karl,

It is 2037 and Id like to discuss how the occupational gender issues changed since 2017.

Nationally, the income gap has continued to close year by year and is nearing towards

equal pay for both men and women. In 2017, the national income gap was about 20%, which

equates to women only receiving 80% of what men were being paid. The national income gap is

now 89%. This is relatively large progress compared to the average rate of reaching equal pay

prior to 2017. It seems as if it will take another 20-30 years in order to reach a nation of equal

pay. However, strides are being made to continue this rate of change.

In 2017, there were only 6 nationally recognized days that expressed Equal Pay

between women and men. There are now 10 days of such that express the issue of equal pay.

More awareness and attention is being brought to the issue of equal pay. More and more

businesses have started monitoring and adjusting gender-based pay differences. This practice of

good business through the chain of command of companies has shown to be narrowing the pay

gap between men and women. The AAUW (American Association of University Women) has

continued efforts of salary negotiation and government awareness/fairness in the workplace.

There is also talk of Congress and policy makers reviewing and even updating the Paycheck

Fairness Act. This will hopefully lead to an update of the Equal Pay Act, which hasnt been

changed since 1963. Changes in this policy would help expunge the income gap exponentially.

Federal enforcement of equal pay would take place and would narrow the income gap at an even

quicker rate.
 Although the income gap has narrowed, it still seems the same problems exist state-by-

statewide. States continue to differ in regards to equal pay as a result of different state policies

and focus in changing the gender gap. As a nation, the gap has reached 89% now and improved.

However the difference between the closest equal paying state and the furthest equal paying state

is 23%. In 2017, this difference was 25%. In a span of 20 years this gap has remained relatively

the same. This means that in the span of 20 years, states have lowered the income gap together,

yet still contain outliers and states that have not made as big as a push towards reducing the

income gap. Some states in 2017 had such an astounding gap (ex: Wyoming, 64%) it will take

them years to reach equal pay on their own. States like this are less prevalent in changes being

made in businesses and ultimately will have to wait for Congress to make a national policy

change in order to ever reach equal pay.

Another occupational gender issue that has seemed to improve would be occupational

segregation by gender. In 2037, there are far less gender specific dominated workplaces.

Integration in the workplace is helping reduce the income gap by leveling the playing field so

to speak between men and women in the labor force. In 2017, there were far more industries

dominated by one gender or the other. The glass ceiling and the glass escalator is more of a thing

of the past. Today, womens education levels are higher on average and coupled with increased

integration, allows them to be in occupational positions that were untapped by women in

previous years. This leads to increased wages, which over time, leads to the lowered income gap.

Now that women are allowed into these previously unobtainable positions, due to companies

and businesses increasing their integration, they are given more and equal opportunity to climb

the ranks with that of their male counterparts. It may take years until the national workplace is

deemed equal, but compared to the year 2017, huge strides are being made to reach equality.
 Im proud that our nation has put increased emphasis on occupational gender issues.

Hopefully in the near future, Congress will slam the door shut and create permanent occupational

equality. I believe we have improved and that there are still opportunities to increase this

improvement. 2017 as I remembered it, struggled dealing with some of these issues. There were

unnoticed problems and issues in the work place between genders. I hope to write to you again in

a few years and inform you that the income gap is no longer and that men and women are seen as

equal in the workplace.

Best Regards,

Joanne Ford-Robinson

Karl Craigie (ktl703)