As we learned early in this chapter, sociological theories help to explain complex human behaviors, social phenomena, and social structures. Let’s consider how each theoretical perspective introduced in the previous section might explain the gender wage gap. In 2021, full-time working women made 83 cents to every dollar earned by men, meaning the gender wage gap is 17 percent (Women’s Bureau Dept. of Labor, 2021). This gap is even more pronounced for Black and Hispanic women.

We need to examine each woman’s experience in the workforce, and we should also understand intersectionality, or how each person’s experience is affected by race/ethnicity, social class, age, etc. We then want to scrutinize the structures and processes that shape these experiences. To establish a more comprehensive analytical framework, we can apply the three main sociological perspectives/paradigms to better understand the socioeconomic phenomenon of the gender wage gap.

5.4.1 Conflict Theory and Wage Inequality

Conflict theorists influenced by the theories of Karl Marx might analyze how the bourgeoisie, the elite, use the wage gap to perpetuate an unequal system. And also how the wage gap is successful in keeping the working classes divided. Females, as a minority group, are paid less so that the dominant group (men) can maintain a greater share of status and power. The United States is an advanced capitalist society, so by paying some workers less than others (and all workers less than the actual value of their labor), those at the top increase their wealth, while the workers are led to believe they too can join the bourgeoisie if they work hard enough.

5.4.2 Structural Functionalism and Wage Inequality

Structural functionalists might look at how values and norms shape societal notions of success in the workforce and how these established values and norms reinforce the division of labor and gender inequality. For functionalists, when roles are clearly established, social solidarity increases. When large numbers of women began to enter the workforce starting in World War II due to labor needs, they were paid less. Employers argued that this was a necessary cost-saving measure during wartime. When women began to collectively demand “equal pay for equal work” in the 1960s, formal norms (laws) had to be passed for this to occur. As we have seen over the past 60 years, values do not always keep up with changing norms and vice versa.

5.4.3 Symbolic Interactionism and Wage Inequality

Interactionists would likely examine how meaning is produced and negotiated in social interactions and how that meaning is then translated into wage inequality. A woman who displays certain behaviors that are generally conceived of as being appropriate for leadership (i.e., strong, opinionated, concise) might be perceived as “bossy” or “difficult to work with.” In contrast, a man with the same behaviors would be perceived as someone ready for a leadership position. This type of meaning-making, which is heavily gendered through generational cycles of socialization, contributes to the wage gap at the micro-sociological level.

Let’s look at each of these perspectives again as they apply more broadly to gender through watching this 6-minute video about the wage gap (figure 5.5).

Figure 5.5. Is the Gender Pay Gap Real? [Youtube]. Watch this vlog from John Green to learn about some of the latest research on the topic.