Syllogism - Closing the Pay Gap

Social Issue Analysis and Response

 
Angelina Robles
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University
COM 362
Professor Gorham
April 30th, 2023

 

 

The position/argument researched

The article being discussed was written by Rose Bleweis and posted on the American Process website, addressing the gender pay gap and emphasizing the need to close it due to its contribution to discrimination and inequality. Summarizing the article's argument in syllogistic form, Some individuals are paid differently based on their gender or race. It is unfair and unjust to pay individuals differently based on their gender or race. Therefore, the gender and race pay gap must be closed to ensure fairness and equality in the workplace.
The first and major premise, Some individuals (S) are paid differently based on their gender or race (P), is an I proposition. The second and minor premise, It is unfair and unjust (P) to pay individuals differently based on their gender or race (S), is an A proposition. The conclusion, Therefore, the gender and race pay gap(S) must be closed (P) to ensure fairness and equality in the workplace is an A proposition (Copi et al., 2016). When assessing the validity of the syllogism using traditional categorical reasoning, it shows that the syllogism is valid. The premises are true because they present factual statements about the unfairness of the gender and race pay gap. The conclusion is accurate because it follows the logic that the S of the conclusion is a subset of the S in premise one, and the P of the conclusion is a subset of the P in premise two (Copi et al., 2016). 
   

Assumptions of the position 

Many assumptions can be made from the position, Some individuals are paid differently based on their gender or race. It is unfair and unjust to pay individuals differently based on their gender or race. Therefore, the gender and race pay gap must be closed to ensure fairness and equality in the workplace. The first one is that the gender and race pay gap exists and is a problem that needs to be fixed. The progress in closing the pay gap has been plodding. Over the past ten years, there has only been a four-cent increase in pay for women, and because of this unfair pay, they are at a significant disadvantage. 
The second assumption is that people, politicians, and employers must fight to close the gender and race pay gaps to ensure fairness and equality in the workplace. Laws and acts need to be put in place by legal systems to put a halt to this form of discrimination. According to an article from LeanIn.org, when workers feel they are being paid fairly and appreciated by those who employ them, it translates to greater job satisfaction and improved performance. Roughly one-third of employees hesitate to apply for a job in a company with gender-based wage disparities (Lean In, n.d.). The wage gap creates more drawbacks than benefits, as the statistics show. Women are paid inequality due to discrimination, stereotyping, and implicit bias. Women are just as intelligent as men and if women have the same education and work background as men, they should get paid equally for doing the same occupation.
The Christian worldview upholds the idea that every human being, regardless of gender or race, possesses worth and value. In Genesis 1:26- 28, the bible expresses that all humans are made in God's image, meaning they are all made extraordinary. This perspective is based on the idea that all human beings are created in the image of God and have equal worth and value in His eyes. This viewpoint stems from the belief that every person is valuable and deserving of equal respect and dignity. All human beings possess inherent worth by their existence and are entitled to be treated with fairness. Christians believe that regardless of an individual’s background or identity, they should have the same opportunities and rights as any other person(English Standard Version Bible, 2009).

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Improving the position 

A valid argument that improves the position of the argument, Some individuals are paid differently based on their gender or race. It is unfair and unjust to pay individuals differently based on their gender or race. Therefore, the gender and race pay gap must be closed to ensure fairness and equality in the workplace, is the syllogism, All employees should be paid based on performance and skill. Some individuals are not paid based on their skills and performance. Therefore, those individuals who are not born based on their abilities and performance should receive fair and equal compensation to ensure that their contributions to the workplace are recognized and rewarded. This argument improves the original argument's position by explaining the pay disparity, stating that pay should be based on skills and performance, not gender or race.
The first and major premise, All employees (S) should be compensated based on their skills and performance (P).  The second and minor premise, Some individuals (S) are not paid based on their skills and performance (P). The conclusion, Therefore, those individuals (S) who are not paid based on their skills and performance (P) should receive fair and equal compensation (S) to ensure that their contributions to the workplace are recognized and rewarded (Copi et al., 2016). Turning this argument into S P form, it is, All S are P. Some S are not P. Therefore, those S that are not P are also not S. (Copi et al., 2016). According to traditional categorical reasoning, the syllogism is valid.  

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References 

Copi, I. M., Cohen, C., & McMahon, K. (2016). Introduction to logic . New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN-13: 9780205820375
Bleiwis, R. (2023, March 24). Quick facts about the gender wage gap. Center for American Progress. From https://www.americanprogress.org/article/quick-facts-gender-wage-gap/ 
The English Standard Version Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocrypha. (2009). 
Kelly, Y. (2020, August 25). Wage equality for women - one world education. One World Education, from https://www.oneworldeducation.org/our-students-writing/wage-equality-for-women/ 
Lean In. (n.d.). Equal Pay Counts: What Companies Can Do. From https://leanin.org/what-companies-can-do-about-equal-pay#!
O'Donnell, M., Nwankwo, U., Calderon, A., & Strickland, C. (2020, September 16). Closing gender pay gaps. Center For Global Development | Ideas to Action. From https://www.cgdev.org/publication/closing-gender-pay-gaps