Marjorie Valbrun’s Article - the Greater Disadvantage Women of Color

Marjorie Valbrun’s article discusses the greater disadvantage women of color, specifically black women, face compared to men and white women. Focusing on the issues of racial and gender income gaps, income inequality, and poverty, Valbrun questions the reason for the lack of black women’s involvement in combating these issues. I think the article was meant to bring light to the racial wage disparities and make the reader acknowledge and wonder why black women are not seen at the forefront of these issues, while at the same time encouraging black women to get involved and let their voice be heard. I agree with the author that the political, economic, and social inequalities women of color face need to be addressed and their importance emphasized. While the reason for lower pay for African American and Hispanic women is due to educational backgrounds, it can only explain part of the discrepancy. A major contributor to the racial income gap comes from discrimination and bias, whether overt or implicit. Discrimination can also be used to explain the lack of black women’s involvement in policy debates. Carol Joyner explains in the article how white women are disproportionately represented in politics and organizations. Therefore, exclusion of Black and Hispanic women from holding political positions could be due to discrimination and this underrepresentation in politics signifies their continued lower status. Further, discrimination can be the reason for why women of color who actually are involved not being in the public eye for these debates because they are discounted and eclipsed by white women. Whatever the reason may be, the article makes it clear that it is imperative to engage on these issues and to have a black women’s perspective voiced.

Claire Miller’s article discusses how in the workplace, having children is a disadvantage to women, while it is an advantage to men. The article illustrates how traditional gender roles of men as the breadwinners and women as the caregivers is the contributing factor to the pay gap. I agree that discrimination does exist in the workplace due to expected gender norms that give women a lower status. It is unfair that employers interpret parenthood differently for men and women when both share equal responsibility of the children. People are starting to protest traditional gender roles and these changes need to be represented in the workplace.