How Much Is Your ‘Vagina Tax’?

By now most are aware of the gender wage gap that exists in America, but just in case you aren’t, Sarah Silverman has released a video that draws attention to the issue in a way that is undeniably witty.

The video, featured below, begins by advising on viewer discretion. It is a humorous jab at the gap that exists in wages in America between genders, and refers to this gap as a “vagina tax.” According to Sarah Silverman, every year women lose $11,000 in wages owing to the wage gap, which adds up to an approximately $500,000 loss in working wages over a woman’s lifetime. In the video, Silverman says she is raising money for all those women who will be cheated by the wage gap in their lifetime.

“If we hit our goal, every woman in America will get a check for the amount they’re owed. But if not, we’ll donate the money to the National Women’s Law Center.”

While the video is funny, it is important not to be distracted from the real issue that is being presented–that of the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap is one of the most telling signs of gender inequality in America, an issue reported by The Inquisitr earlier this year. The average gender wage gap in America is 78 percent. Meaning women on average make 78 cents to the dollar that men make. So what determines your “vagina tax”? Various factors determine the wage gap between men and women, but some are affected more than others. So if you…

1. Live in Louisiana

If you live in Louisiana, you may be one of the most unfairly paid women in America. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has recently released data showing gender wage gap by State, in which Louisiana can be seen lagging behind the country’s average at just 66 percent. Just above them are Wyoming and West Virginia, where women earn an average of 69 cents for every dollar a man makes. The smallest wage gap exists in Washington DC where women make 91 cents to the dollar.

2. Are Hispanic or Latina

Hispanic and Latina Women are subject to the widest gender wage gap according to a study by The American Association of University Women, having been paid 54 percent of what white men were paid in 2013. The smallest wage gap was found among Asian women who were paid 90 percent of what white men were paid in 2013. American Indian and Alaska Native women were paid 59 percent, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women were paid 65 percent and African American and White women were paid 64 percent and 78 percent respectively.

3. Have Children

According to the Washington Post, a study by sociologist Michelle Budig shows that there is a significant difference in the wage gaps between women who are unmarried, women who are childless, and mothers. Unmarried women earned 96 cents for every dollar a male made, childless women made 93 cents, and mothers earned an average of just 76 cents to every dollar a male earned.

4. Aren’t in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Field

If you aren’t working in one of these fields, chances are your gender wage gap is much wider than your STEM employed counterparts.

“The wage gap, then, is more of a reflection of the overall state of employment for men and women. More men go into high-paying professions like engineering and computer science. And, while opportunities have opened up for women, women tend to go into lower-paying fields like teaching, nursing and social work.”

That may be so but studies show that regardless of field, all factors taken into account, even with a level playing field there is still at least a 7 percent wage gap between the genders. Even in the field of Medicine gender wages are less than those of men. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, even in STEM jobs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) there exists a significant gender wage gap.

“For every dollar earned by a man in STEM, a woman earns 14 cents (or 14percent) less, smaller than the 21 percent gender wage gap in non-STEM occupations, but a clear gender disparity nonetheless.”

So what is your “vagina tax”? Where exactly do you fall in America’s gender wage gap? Feel free to leave a comment and be sure to check out Sarah Silverman’s video below.