Book contents
- Panes of the Glass Ceiling
- Panes of the Glass Ceiling
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Attribution
- Introduction
- 1 “We See You Differently Than We See Men” (But)
- 2 “We Expect You to Take Your (Verbal) Punches Like a Man” (And)
- 3 “Accept ‘Locker Room’ and Sexist Talk” (But)
- 4 “You Don’t Operate with Full Agency” (But)
- 5 “Women Are the Downfall of Men” (So)
- 6 “Just Be Grateful That You’re There” (And)
- 7 “Don’t Burden Us with Your (Impending) Motherhood” (Because)
- 8 “He Has a Family to Support” (And Besides …)
- 9 “Bad People Don’t Do Good Things, but Good People Frequently Say Bad Things” (and Employment Discrimination Plaintiffs Can’t Be Fully Trusted)
- Conclusion
- Index
8 - “He Has a Family to Support” (And Besides …)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 March 2022
- Panes of the Glass Ceiling
- Panes of the Glass Ceiling
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Attribution
- Introduction
- 1 “We See You Differently Than We See Men” (But)
- 2 “We Expect You to Take Your (Verbal) Punches Like a Man” (And)
- 3 “Accept ‘Locker Room’ and Sexist Talk” (But)
- 4 “You Don’t Operate with Full Agency” (But)
- 5 “Women Are the Downfall of Men” (So)
- 6 “Just Be Grateful That You’re There” (And)
- 7 “Don’t Burden Us with Your (Impending) Motherhood” (Because)
- 8 “He Has a Family to Support” (And Besides …)
- 9 “Bad People Don’t Do Good Things, but Good People Frequently Say Bad Things” (and Employment Discrimination Plaintiffs Can’t Be Fully Trusted)
- Conclusion
- Index
Summary
The belief that a man should, or needs to, earn more than a woman because he probably has a family to support – like so many other beliefs explored here – is one that most modern people would not admit to harboring. It is one that many people may not even process consciously. Despite more than half a century of legislation and several waves of social and political movements to compel sexual and other equality in employment, women still, on the whole, make less money for doing the same work as men. And when attitudes, assumptions, and history are probed for explanations, it appears that, to some extent and on some level of consciousness, many people still see male employees as “serious” breadwinners with families to support who should receive, or need to receive, higher wages.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Panes of the Glass CeilingThe Unspoken Beliefs Behind the Law's Failure to Help Women Achieve Professional Parity, pp. 196 - 212Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022