Research+Paper+(Richest+People+in+America)

Who is the Richest In America?

If a person is male, between the age of 50 and 59, self-made, in technology with a master's degree, and married with children he has the potential to be the richest man in America. Women are paid 80 cents for every dollar men are paid and that excludes any part-time workers (Working In Heels Podcast)! Although today men and women have the same legal rights, each gender is treated differently. Women need “to fall in line or they're screwed” (El-Faizy). Gender does affect the level of financial success because of different desires, expectations, and reputations. According to the Forbes list the 50 richest, self-made people in America are all men. The majority of the women inherit their money or their business, therefore they don’t have to build and develop their massive net worth. For example, the Walton family inherited billions of dollars from the Walmart franchise (The Richest People in America 2010 - Forbes.com). Especially in the professional business world, men are the dominant gender. More men are seated at higher ranked positions than women. For example, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Phil Knight, and Warren Buffet have their own multi-million or multi-billion companies. In contrast, Oprah Winfrey and Meg Whitman are two of the few known self-made American women billionaires; however they don't make as much money. The information on self-made and financially successful women is limited. Financially, there are none or few women in America that can financially compete with men such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. The general path men take produces more money compared to feminine occupations. For example, men are more interested in technology, compared to nursing or working at a salon. However, today men are slowly becoming teachers and nurses and more women are getting involved in technology and engineering. Psychologists believe that women don't have a higher income because of their personalities and the harsh criticism by today's society. It is hard to change the outlook on women in America because they are seen as the motherly figure. Women are viewed as mothers, home care takers, teachers, and nurses. Overall, they are the nurturers in the community. On the other hand, it would be feminine to see a stay at home father or a male nurse. Therefore, men are seems as the providers of their families. Men feel that it is their responsibility to provide enough or even more for his family Unfortunately in today’s world, money equals power. According to statistics, on average men earn greater salaries than women (Interview with Liz Hamburg). Self-made women seem to have a more challenging journey to endure than men. Women start off with a disadvantage because there are already stereotypes on the way women behave and act in the business world. Any woman would want a high paying job, in addition to her clean house at home, a perfect family, and maintain a young body. However according to society people look down on women who have more of a life outside their jobs. If a woman is committed to her job, she is seen as having a poor personal life, however if she has children and a successful personal life, she is seen as uncommitted (Maltby). On the other hand, stereotypes like these are not usually viewed about men. As long as this idea exists throughout the business world, a woman’s ideal goal to have a happy and successful life almost seems unattainable. It seems almost as if women have to choose between a successful career or a successful personal life. According to the Women’s Media website, if women want to make more money they don’t necessarily don’t have to work harder. They have to handle situations differently. From the Women’s Media Podcast, there are four reasons why women don’t earn more money than men. First, when most women have children they feel more obligated to stay at home or choose to work part time. In addition, if a women displays herself as a mother at work companies will "just assume that [they are] not as committed to [their] work and do what it takes" (El-Faizy). If a woman becomes a mother she should gain more respect from her co-workers and bosses for being able to juggle the responsibilities of a mom, taking care of the household, and showing dedication to the company. Second, when a women walks into a room for an interview it is common for the boss, male and female, to think that since she is a women she will be willing to work for less money. Third, women who accept a low pay which includes occupations such as teachers and nurses, also is known as the pink ghetto. However, studies have proven that when men start to go into nursing or the pink ghetto jobs the pay starts to rise. Therefore, this encourages women to welcome men into their occupation. Fourth, there’s a delay in promotions and delay in increasing pay. Some bosses may see males are more confident in their work because they can “hide their vulnerability better than women” (Working In Heels Podcast). In today’s society, Oprah Winfrey, a famous talk show host, is one of the most successful self-made woman. She is a great example of the definition of financially successful women. However, under the Forbes list of the 400 richest people in America she is ranked lower than expected at 130 (The Richest People in America 2010 - Forbes.com). She was born to an unwed teenage mother and spent her childhood poor and unwanted. Oprah was abused by male relatives and impregnated at the age of 14. Sadly, her baby boy died at a young age. However, Oprah saw this as God giving her a second chance and to do something with her life (YouTube - Oprah @ Barbara Walters Interview 2010 - Part 1). Furthermore, her stories, her past, and her passion and love for what she does helped beat the odds and fought against anyone who doubted her. As she started off as a broadcaster on the local news the company tried to control every aspect of her and required a lot of dedication. If she had any children it would degrade her position and representation of herself. In addition, she is able to devote so much time into her job because she is single. Women are seen as submissive compared to men, however Oprah was determined to make become someone. Oprah is now a strong woman and has the drive to do the best she can in anything. Recently, she discontinued her famous talk show, The Oprah Winfrey show, and started her own station. On her show she discusses numerous of issues and wants to educate America with the knowledge she has. Although she started low on the scale as a poor, black female she proves to everyone women are just as worthy and hard working to become financially successful in life. Slowly women are demonstrating to society they are just as valuable, capable, and hardworking as men. According to an expert source, Liz Hamburg, said that the numbers of women owned businesses are increasing and entrepreneurship is a great way to become more economically self-sufficient (Interview with Liz Hamburg). There are some organizations in America trying to encourage and “change the perception of women businesses from small, economically insignificant hobbies, into the reality of substantial growing contributors in the U.S economy” (Center for Women's Business Research - Economic Impact Study). For example, the Women’s Business Research Center wants to improve and raise the influence women have on the business world. Today, there’s a higher percentage of women attending college than men. In addition, slowly women are creeping closer to reach the same financial level as men, however they will always carry a bigger weight on their shoulders than men.