This profession does not have to be closely observed to see that most educators are females. Rarely, there is an older white male who is a coach that teaches a certain class. If there is a male teacher, they're located in the secondary level of education. Most female educators are seen in elementary schools. In my opinion, I feel as though others see female elementary teachers as mothers. That is why people expect them to always clean the classroom, pick up after children, and go as far as babying the students. Since this is "expected", this does not affect a woman's pay. I strongly agreed with a quote from Weiner and the4 explanation given after in this module. '“We've had a highly feminized profession, but feminized means both that women do the work, but also that it's devalued because it is women's work,” Weiner says, pointing to many issues that exist in education, such as underpaid teachers, buildings in disrepair, and even an “inverted” pyramid where men hold far more leadership positions than women.'
The gender wage gap has been present as far back as the 1860s. It has been more than one hundred and fifty years since then, and there is still a gap in the wage between genders in mostly all professions. How much more can a man really do than a woman? How are women not being presented the same opportunities or rules as men are if we are all equals? Women have so many strict guidelines they need to follow, especially in the school environment. I have experienced this throughout my whole education. Specifically, a dress code that is placed. Girls are told, "Do not show your shoulders, no holes in your jeans, no piercings anywhere other than your earlobes, nothing too tight, cover up, don't be a distraction!" Meanwhile boys only had to worry about picking up their pants if they were falling. This has been carried out to the profession itself and female teachers are expected not to wear heals that are too high, skirts that are way past the knees, loose pants, etc. There always has been a difference in genders when it comes to a profession, and I just hope as a society we can change that perspective instead of just mentioning it or ignoring the problem.
