The only exceptions to this law are that there is a seniority system, a merit based system, a system where the quantity or quality of work is measured, or any other basis other than gender (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Despite the fact that the Equal Pay Act was established, the 1970s experienced wage gaps. Feminists began wearing buttons that read “59 cents” on their clothing, indicating the gender wage gap in the United States (Browne and Misra 495). Into the 1980s, the black-white and the Latino-white wage gap increased (Browne and Misra …show more content…
Unlike white candidates who have upper class connections due to the availability of an education, white privilege, and a well-off socioeconomic standing, people of color do not have the same extensive social network, even for lower-level jobs (Braddock and McPartland 6). The opportunity for a higher education has allowed students of an upper socioeconomic class to make connections through school and parent’s connections to jobs. Overall, higher education has contributed to inequality and social stratification in the United States, with graduates of college earning eighty percent more than that of high school graduates (Rivera, 3-4). The social stratifications specifically come from elite schools. Elite colleges—such as Ivy League schools—create an institutionalized social capital (Rivera, 39): “high status credentials associated with social origin that gatekeepers use to distribute valued economic and social prizes” (Rivera, 110). These credentials are based on socioeconomic statuses that many elite students carry due to parents or the label of their school. When looking at résumés, employers focus on the school name and the extracurricular activities—the credentials (Rivera, 109). Therefore, when social capital is not gained, there is a smaller chance for an influential social network, and the opportunity to be hired