For this report, we interviewed John Scanzoni, a professor of sociology at the University of Florida, and Paul Ortiz, an associate professor of history and the director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida.
Scanzoni discussed how the wage difference between men and women might put strain on a relationship. While men experience a wage premium after becoming a parent, women experience a wage penalty. Scanzoni explained that differences in the way men and women view work and parenthood may be factors at work here. Young, childless women in many large cities outearn men of the same age range. Upon having a child, these women may experience a reduction in productivity and, in turn, their wages. This may be due to the fact that women are more likely to take time off from work after giving birth and are more likely to take primary responsibility over child-rearing. Men, however, are more likely to view work as required and are less likely to take time off of work after the birth of a child, Scanzoni said.
Ortiz said the wage discrepencies for men of different races and ethnicities have historical roots. In the United States, black men have historically been discriminated against in the job market. While Latino men have met similar discrimination, the effects have decreased with each new generation. Ortiz said that despite differences in earnings, black, Latino and white men do have something in common. Regardless of race, most men have a similar view of work and are taught that a man's job is to earn a living wage and support a family. "That's pretty universal," he said. "You find that as true in Mexico as you would in Hope, Ark."
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