Gender discrimination can cover a wide variety of social prejudices. Throughout world history, even American women have been treated as second-class citizens. In the United States, women had to fight for rights such as the right to vote or to own land. These are just a few examples of the many injustices women have had to face. Men have held a position of leadership and power throughout history in almost everything. Men would even decide who a woman would marry, among a whole host of other things. Gender discrimination in the workplace is one of the most recent issues that American citizens have had to face. Despite the passage of laws such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, this remains a problem for many American women today. This is seen as a problem due to the increasing presence of women in higher education jobs. Women should be paid the same as men when working in the same field. Although many Americans believe this, in many workplaces this is not the case. Not only does this cause great concern, but women's low pay can mean they struggle to care for not only themselves, but also their families. There are many more single-income homes in America today than in the past. In addition, many women have had to become the main source of income for a family due to economic problems. Women may be discouraged by discrimination and pay gaps, making them less effective in their jobs. In this essay, I intend to discuss gender discrimination in the workplace, the gender wage gap, and the social stereotypes that cause these problems. Sex discrimination can mean treating a person differently simply because of their sex based on social stereotypes or because... ... middle of paper ...... differently. This way you get a variety of ideas and perspectives on the table. Women are considered to think differently than their counterparts, but they also work differently. When it comes to making critical decisions and dealing with crises, studies show that women are often more competent. However, despite these statistics, women remain a minority on boards of directors and refuse to change. Works cited1. Women in the workplace: broadening the gender debate Irigaray, Hélio Arthur Reis; Vergara, Sylvia ConstantView profile. Tamara Journal of Critical Organization Inquiry9.1/2 (March-June 2011): 69-81.2. October 17, 2012 5:25 p.m.Women and the workplace: the benefits of gender diversity put to the testBy Dina Medland3. The gender pay gap: it affects us all