Research Proposal Presentation Title

An investigation of American Governmental Gender Wage Gap policy

Student researchers

Chen Wu

Jingyao Liu

Yutong Wu

Ziyue Song

What is your research question?

What policies can the U.S. government use to effectively reduce the gender wage gap?

Research proposal keywords or concepts

Interview-based qualitative study

Gender inequality in the workplace

Gender related governmental policies

How would you summarize your proposed research idea?

There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of gender inequality in the US, and the gender wage gap is particularly prominent. The central purpose of the present research study proposed in this presentation is to focus on the real feelings of American workers through the interview-based qualitative method, and to compare and summarize the most effective government policies to solve the gender wage gap problem.

Where is the literature gap and how does your proposed research attempt to fill that gap?

Most studies on gender wage gap policies have only focused on the theoretical analysis of one single policy in one paper. Their analysis did not take account of workers' true attitude towards policies, and little is known about summaries and comparisons of all policies. The research proposed in this presentation will allow us to select ideal policies through interviewing workers.

Why is this gap worthy of research?

Qualitative interviews on this topic can contribute to finding out the truly effective policies among many existing policies in the US and help promote them. Additionally, it will help analyze the shortcomings of policies and give suggestions for improving .It will help propose new ideal policies to alleviate gender inequality.

What future change could this research possibly contribute to, related to sustainability?

According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Article 5 (2015) on gender equality, the present study can contribute to motivating American society to pay more attention to gender inequality in workplaces. In the long run, this will help improve people’s well-being, social stability, and even economic development.

What made your group interested in and/or what excites you about your proposed topic?

Our personal experience of the gender wage gap has prompted this research. We have tried to find part-time jobs during summer vacation. However, many employers have mandatory requirements on employees’ gender, and we found that it is a common problem that men and women in the same position have different salary levels. According to Dang (2021), women were 24% more likely than men to be permanently unemployed due to COVID-19. As women, we are well aware of the harm that gender inequality can cause to our lives. Therefore, with the epidemic exacerbating the problem, we decided to contribute.

References

United Nation. (2015). Gender equality and women's empowerment | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved July 05, 2021, from https://sdgs.un.org/topics/gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment

Dang, H. H., & Viet Nguyen, C. (2021). Gender inequality during the Covid-19 pandemic: Income, Expenditure, savings, and job loss. World Development, 140, 105296. doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105296