Imagine you and your coworker doing all the same work, for the same hours but you’re making 15% less money than they do. You could even work harder than they do and still make 15% less than they are. What’s the difference between you and your coworker that is causing you to lose money? Well your coworker is a male and you are a female.

This seems as though this is an issue that the government should work on solving however, on April 9th 2014 Republicans in Senate voted to block The Paycheck Fairness Act. The White House has it’s own wage gap itself the female staff on average make 12% less than the male staff do. The said reason for this wage gap is that women take time off to raise children. Those who oppose equal pay claim it’s because men work in more dangerous and life threatening jobs. They also believe that passing The Paycheck Fairness Act will lead to more lawsuits in the workplace and cause small business to lose money.

The reason this more prevalent is because people are less likely to hire women for jobs they believe that “men can do better”. Women only hold 4.6% of the Fortune 500 CEO positions. Many argue that the wage gap is caused by this fact but still women in executive jobs make less than their male counterparts. A woman who had all the same qualifications and put as much time into the job as a male still getting paid less in 2014 is absurd.

Women currently have higher enrollment rates in college than males and they aren’t paying any less for their tuition then men are. Females are starting to outnumber males in science and math course that were male dominated in the past. Women are able to anything men can do at the same level or at a more successful rate and should be able to make the wage they deserve.

As a current female college student this is a topic that weighs heavily on my mind. I am going to come out of college with a massive debt and a job that won’t pay me to my full work potential. The fact that women make less money than men is not something I grew up knowing about. This was a harsh reality to face and honestly doesn’t have enough awareness. Those who hear about what’s happening are not okay with it and the more people who know, the more voices the government will have to appease.

There are females currently paying anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000 for a college education to come out with the same degree as the male, why are we still letting them get paid less?