Literature Review
Over the years, Bernie Sanders has been an enthusiastic defender and advocate for women. As a pro-choice advocate, he has continually voted for the availability of contraceptives, protection of women from sexual and domestic abuse and equal pay among genders. Despite his advances in political and civil advocacy, our nation requires a more stable ground for addressing issues of gender equity and equality. This Literature review will work through secondary and primary sources to showcase how and why Bernie Sanders’s argument and proposal on women Equal pay rights should be taken with the seriousness it deserves.
Equal Pay for Women
Fredrickson, C. (2015). Under the bus: How working women are being run over. New York: The New Press
Caroline Fredrickson (2015) examines the inequality that exists between women and men in the workplace.
...She explores how the current workplace is divided into a two-tier system where some women enjoy the equal rights at work while others suffer the patriarchal mentored society. Her concerns about the welfare of women concede the manifesto raised by Bernie Sanders. Women are discriminated, alienated and segregated when it comes to equal pay for equal work done. They are denied the minimum wage, the right to unionize, maternity leave or protection from sexual harassment at workplace. This book acts an excellent resource while evaluating the equal pay for women idea by Bernie Sanders. According to an analysis by Bernie Sanders, an average white woman earn 79 cents per every dollar earned by a man while an African-American woman makes 64 cents. Sanders promises to work on the Paycheck Fairness Act as a way of ending gender-based wage discrimination. Therefore, this book will act
as a better foundation for his argument and plans for equalizing workplace paycheck and discrimination.
Wang, G. (2010). Reproductive health and gender equality: Method, measurement, and implications. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
According to Wang (2010), women reproductive health and gender equality and equal pay are three aspects that determine the development of women in a given nation. The book evaluates how different stakeholders in the government, society and social institutions such as schools would participate in ensuring expanded and protected women access to resources and reproductive rights. This resource is helpful as it explores similar issue raised by Bernie Sanders while explaining the need for women to control their bodily needs as well as access resources in a simple way as men. Variously, the book gives several examples of how reproductive health of women would be assured. One of the primary intervention is giving equal access to employment, payment and resources to women. Wang’s argument is on-line with Bernie’s funding for Planned Parenthood, family planning programmes and empowerment for females on their health. Hence, this book will offer a good ground for supporting the reproductive rights, equal payment for women and equal access to resources as suggested by Bernie Sanders.
Hull, N. E. H., & Hoffer, P. C. (2001). Roe v. Wade: The abortion rights controversy in American history. Lawrence, Kan: University Press of Kansas.
Women rights would only be achieved if and only the judicial system supports and defends the rights or women and accepts balanced gender both in health, employment and access to social amenities. Hull & Hoffer (2001) analyses different debates on the controversy in the American abortion rights History. Women should have an equal right to
decide on their roles, place of work and task assigned to them. Bernie as the candidate of choice is fully supported by the information and ideas expressed in this book. Therefore, when evaluating the validity of Bernie’s claim on the nomination of an active Supreme Court Justice who support Roe V. Wade, equal access to paychecks and reproductive rights of women, this book will act as an excellent source of information.
Westman, J. C. (2001). Parenthood in America: Undervalued, Underpaid, under siege. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
According to Westman (2001), parenthood is undervalued and under siege based on the fact that women spaced in the society are undervalued. Therefore, the only available intervention for saving a woman is offering a reasonable and quality care and education systems for the working mothers. Bernie Sanders promises to make Childcare and Pre-K school system available for these young working mothers. Based on the analysis offered by this resource, it’s evident that Childcare services in America would offer working women a more relaxed moment to achieve. With equal pay rights working women will be in a position to enroll their young ones in these care centers.
Misra, J., & Murray-Close, M. (November 01, 2014). The Gender Wage Gap in the United States and Cross-Nationally. Sociology Compass, 8, 11, 1281-1295.
This article looks at gender wage inequalities in post-industrial era pointing out at the gaps present between men and women. Women are shown as the lowest paid as compared to men. Misra & Murray-Close (2014) showcase women as two-thirds of the overall wage workers in America. Therefore, his suggestion on payment on closing the wage gap between men and women concedes with
the proposal placed by Bernie Sanders in his campaign manifesto. Therefore, this article is crucial in evaluating the workability of proposed “15 dollars per hour” wage for women. It’s workable as an increase in wage will increase their ability to access better services as their counterparts.
Batalova, J. (2006). Skilled immigrant and native workers in the United States: The economic competition debate and beyond. New York: LFB Scholarly Pub. LLC.
Analysis of the competitive economic debate by Batalova (2006) indicates that women make more than two-thirds of the overall population of tipped workers. In the year 1991, the federal government placed tipped wages at $2.13 per hour which indicates that tipped women receive only $2 per hour. Therefore, raising the tipped worker wages to at least $10 would help in bridging the gender pay gap between men and women. This suggestion by Batalova (2006) will be used in supporting Bernie Sanders proposal on raising tipped wage paychecks to $15 by the year 2023.
Levine, L., & Library of Congress. (2007). Leave benefits in the United States. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
This eJournal focuses on the direct and indirect federal statutes on employer provision on leave benefits. The evaluation looks into Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Family & Medical Leave Act and Equal pay rights with much concern on the Temporary Disability Insurance programs. With this journal as a reference, issues raised by Bernie Sander will be placed in a beam balance to ascertain their validity. For example, mothers should be offered enough time to care and provide for their newborn before embarking back onto their daily jobs. Therefore, this is an insightful resource when dealing with issues
of equal paychecks, Leave benefits and provisions.
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | Food and Nutrition Service. (2016). Fns.usda.gov. Retrieved 27 April 2016, from http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and- children-wic
According to Food & Nutrition Service website (2016), the federal government is expected to provide supplemental food stamps, nutrition education, and health care referrals for low-income mothers, non-breastfeeding postpartum women, breastfeeding and infants up to the age of five years. With this website, it will be easy to defend the claims proposed by Bernie Sanders on the expansion of WIC program for infants, children and pregnant women in America. Variously, it looks on how low income women would be empowered by advocating for equal treatment and pay in workplace.
Campbell, B., Marchildon, G. P., & Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. (2007). Medicare: Facts, myths, problems, promise. Toronto: J. Lorimer & Co.
As a national Social Insurance Program, Medicare offers health insurance for who have attained 65 years and over and have worked in a pain system. In the United States alone, Medicare uses more than 30 private insurance. Since its interception in 1966, Americans have been having suggestions on how the medical system may be crafted to fulfill the Americans healthcare right. Having seen this, this resource will be very helpful while analyzing how Bernie Sander will streamline the current Healthcare sector. His argument is that he will streamline the workforce schedules to accommodate the high paycheck for women so that they can have enough money to access medical services.
Veghte, B. W. (June 01, 2015). Social Inequality, Retirement Security, and the Future of Social Security. Poverty & Public Policy, 7, 2, 97-122.
Social Security is a vital program that ensures people have enough upkeep
in their senior years. It caters for medical, cost of living and drugs costs in most regions. With this article, it will be easy to evaluate the workability of the proposed social security expansion by $65 a month by Bernie Sanders. His argument is that enlargement of this social security by equalizing paychecks for both men and women. He argues that the move will benefit women more because they are more elderly women than men in America. This comes as a plan to eradicate the gender censored poverty in America where women are the primary victims. Therefore, this article will play a crucial part in unearthing the truth of his manifesto.
References
- Fredrickson, C. (2015). Under the bus: How working women are being run over. New York: The New Press
- Campbell, B., Marchildon, G. P., & Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. (2007). Medicare: Facts, myths, problems, promise. Toronto: J. Lorimer & Co.
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | Food and Nutrition Service. (2016). Fns.usda.gov. Retrieved 27 April 2016, from http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and-children- wic
- Levine, L., & Library of Congress. (2007). Leave benefits in the United States. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
- Batalova, J. (2006). Skilled immigrant and native workers in the United States: The economic competition debate and beyond. New York: LFB Scholarly Pub. LLC.
- Westman, J. C. (2001). Parenthood in America: Undervalued, Underpaid, under siege. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
- Wang, G. (2010). Reproductive health and gender equality: Method, measurement, and implications. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
- Hull, N. E. H., & Hoffer, P. C. (2001). Roe v. Wade: The abortion rights controversy in American history. Lawrence, Kan: University Press of Kansas.
- Misra, J., &
Murray-Close, M. (November 01, 2014). The Gender Wage Gap in the United States and Cross-Nationally. Sociology Compass, 8, 11, 1281-1295.
