Created by Katie Liu, "The Gender Wage Gap Game" seeks to be a game to
provoke and teach viewers about the gender wage gap that exists in
America. According to the 2019 Census Bureau data, women earned on average
82 cents for every $1 earned by men. This gap is even more significant for
women of color.
There is even a day called "Equal Pay Day" which symbolizes how far into
the year the average women must work in order to have earned what the
average man had earned the entire previous year, regardless of experience
or job type.
There are many factors that contribute to the gender wage gap, which in
the game are obstacles to avoid in order to break the glass ceiling.
A glossary of these terms used in the game are as followed:
The "glass ceiling" refers to an intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions.
Occupational segregation occurs when one demographic group is overrepresented or underrepresented among different kinds of work or different types of jobs. Occupations with more men tend to be paid better regardless of skill or education level. This is because if work is done predominantly by women, then it is valued less in the labor market.
Vertical segregation denotes the situation whereby opportunities for career progression for a particular gender within a company or sector are limited. There are fewer women in senior, and hence better paying positions.
Gender-based pay discrimination has been illegal since the Equal Pay Act of 1963 but is still a frequent, widespread practice—particularly for women of color. This Act is also poorly enforced. Beyond explicit decisions to pay women less than men, employers may discriminate in pay when they rely on prior salary history in hiring and compensation decisions; this can enable pay decisions that could have been influenced by discrimination to follow women from job to job.
Barriers to entry refers to all of the reasons that women are unable to join the workforce such as being the rate of being a single parent and education level.
More Info on the Gender Wage Gap
Facts from the Pew Research Center
Definition of Glass Ceiling
Info on Occupational Segregation
Info on Vertical Segregation