Unequal Pay Doesn't Stack Up

While the troubles of the national economy have aggravated the problems of the poor and swelled their numbers, individuals and families living in poverty have been dealing with problems of survival for much longer.  Furthermore, Dr. Stephen Scanlan, assistant professor of sociology at Ohio University, suggested that a meager bank account is merely a catalyst for a range of other problems.

“So in a sense, when you are poor, it’s not just that you don’t have enough money to pay the rent or buy food or transportation, you’re also just isolated,” Dr. Scanlan said.  He referred to the 2008 political campaigns when politicians visited low-income areas, but “the poor aren’t the ones that everyone wants to [be a part of the party].”  Party platforms tend to cater to the middle class audience because it is the largest segment of the population and essential to an election win. 

Politically, the troubles persist once those candidates take office.  In order to pass legislation, compromises are often made to satisfy an array of stakeholders.  Dr. Scanlan pointed out, “And we might talk about a policy that intends to alleviate poverty, but even that must be sold in a way that everybody benefits.”  As a result, programs that provide aid to the poor might be watered down or burdened by a tangle of guidelines.

Expanding on the poor’s vulnerability, Dr. Scanlan explained, “If you want to talk to about poverty, really that is about powerlessness.  Powerlessness on multiple fronts—It’s  not just economic inequality or political inequality or gender and race and all these other forms that . . . certainly make people more vulnerable . . . to being at the lower rungs of the economic ladder.”  He referenced other potential barriers to

full participation in society.  Women have consistently earned approximately three-fourths of a man’s earnings in the same job for the past several decades.  (Although some argue that these findings are grounded in multifaceted contexts that go beyond gender discrimination.)

Informal segregation in the workplace can bar or discourage access to woman and minorities from holding particular jobs.  As Dr. Scanlan explained, these forms of discrimination can work discretely or in conjunction.  Regardless, these factors alienate from political, economic and social spheres and make individuals vulnerable to exploitation on multiple fronts.

“Power serves those who are in power.”

- Dr. Stephen Scanlan 

CHECK OUT a book or two on the isolation of poverty and pay inequalities.