Wage Rage

In today’s society, the wage gap is something that has to be anticipated by people of many races and backgrounds. Men, women, African, Asian, whatever characteristics define you. Everyone has to consider their position in the workforce, even if you are on the side which is being benefited over another. 

Just because you may not be directly affected by societal limitations that have been institutionally integrated to make it seem acceptable, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t speak up for those who are being negatively impacted. The gap between men and women in general has been acknowledged and shifts in both directions as the years progress, but even between people of the same gender can you find disparity. 

This past year in the tech industry, for every dollar a white man made a black woman in the same position earned 90 cents based on data reports. Women and people of color have become acclimated to experiencing such incremental gains or losses in the technology sector where in reality, physical appearance or background should have no impact on how much one deserves to be paid. Performance and deliverability should always be at the forefront of the employer’s minds, but after years of having institutionally formed barriers in many parts of life, such factors aren’t always the biggest influences on the end salary one is offered. 

African American employees at Amazon have stated that there is a clear culture of bias within the company that can be seen through less promotions and poorer treatment of employees. Google recently settled a dispute with the Department of Labor for discriminating against women and asians in their hiring practices. Such situations are a commonplace occurrence within the job market, notably in the tech sector. 

These conditions are not things that people looking to work and contribute to the economy should have to deal with. Merit and the ability to produce results are all that really matter in a working environment and those who discount others based on physical or ethinic factors ultimately stagnate the movement of our society to a more unified and efficient position which would benefit everyone greatly. 

–Azaan Moledina