Part 1:

Explain what the gender pay gap is and how it has changed over time.

Using the article attached:

• In the article, "The Gender Pay Gap: Challenging the Rationalizations," Lips argues that the human capital model is insufficient for understanding the persistence of the gender pay gap. Similarly, the AAUW report we read, "The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap," notes that the pay gap cannot simply be explained by different career and life choices men and women make. Why are the human capital and "choices" argument insufficient? What other factors, such as gender-based discrimination, explain the persistence of the gender pay gap?
• Considering the consequences of the pay gap, for both women and men, why is it important to address this issue? Discuss the workplace policies you think would be most effective for reducing the pay gap between men and women.

Part 2:

• Reflect on shifting attitudes toward homosexuality and changes in the degree of prejudice and discrimination directed toward gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals in American society since the mid-20th century.
• Discuss how the concepts of acculturation, primary structural assimilation, and secondary structural assimilation apply to sexual minorities. Choose one other group we have read about so far in the course and describe the similarities and differences in how these concepts apply to both groups. In other words, what similarities and differences do you see in terms of the acculturation and assimilation of those who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual compared to the other minority group you chose?