Name: Payton Blankenship

Dear, Whoever can help fix this issue

My name is Payton Blankenship and I am a student at Elk Grove High School. I'm reaching out to you because of
my concern about the gender pay gap. As a teenage girl, it is safe to say that I notice men get more paid than women do.
Before writing this, I tried to inform myself more about the gender pay gap, so I could try and help with this problem.
However, it is difficult to change a worldwide problem at such a young age and by myself. My attempt to learn more
about the gender pay gap isn't going to do anything to fix the problem, but with more people like you, we could solve the
problem.
According to the American Association of University Women, “women only get paid 83% of what men get paid.
Men have been getting paid more since the 1860s impacting women all over the world. Women working full time in the
U.S. are still paid just 83 cents to every dollar earned by men — and the consequences of this gap affect women
throughout their lives. The pay gap even follows women into retirement: As a result of lower lifetime earnings, they
receive less in Social Security and pensions. In terms of overall retirement income, women have only 70% of what men
do.” The article also stated “The gender pay gap is the result of many factors, including race and ethnicity, disability,
access to education and age. As a result, many different groups of women experience very different gaps in pays. The
gender pay gap is a complex issue that will require robust and inclusive solutions.” This challenge continues to be an
issue even though women have been trying to stop it for hundreds of years. I fear that this problem won’t be stopped and
women in the future generations will have to fight for their right to get paid as much as men.
The source I used is credible for many reasons. It was updated in 2022 by the American Association of University
Women. The AAUW was founded in 1881, AAUW has awarded $135 million in fellowships and grants to more than
13,000 scholars and organizations in 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and 150 countries, one of the
largest scholarship programs for women in the world. When it comes to trying to get women the same amount of
opportunities in education, economic security, and advocacy, the AAUW is the biggest organization. The article had
many embedded links to other articles further in depth on other problems that have caused the gender pay gap. Since
this organization has existed for more than 140 years, this increases their reliability as a credible source.