ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Gender pay gap in the United States

Gender pay gap in the United States means that on average, men earn more money than women for doing the same work. This is not fair, but it happens because of historical and cultural reasons. Girls and boys have been raised differently and sometimes people have underestimated the abilities of women.

Imagine two grown-ups, one is a boy and the other is a girl, and they both work at a store. They do the same job and work the same number of hours, but at the end of the week, the boy gets paid more money. This is bad because they both did the same work and they both work just as hard. The girl should not get less money, just because she is a girl.

The gender pay gap can happen because women often go to college less than men and they don't get the same jobs or promotions. This can also happen because companies don't always pay women the same as men for doing the same job. This is unfair and should be changed so everyone can get paid the same for doing the same work.

Women have also been discriminated against because of their gender in the past. This means they were not given the same opportunities men were, and so they have been at a disadvantage. It is important to treat people fairly, no matter their gender or any other differences. We should respect and value everyone equally, and that includes paying them the same amount of money for the same job.