Women fought to be treated equally and should have the same pay as men. Men continue to have better jobs and receive better pay than women (Cotter, Hermsen, and Vanneman). The fight for economic equality has slowed, but is still needed in society (Obama). The role of women in society has changed dramatically. Women no longer have to stay at home and take care of their children. Now there is a need for women to work to provide for their families. Women continue to dream of a life full of economic and political equality. If they continue to work towards this dream, it can become a reality. They can break through the stereotype of the glass ceiling, “a term coined by the Wall Street Journal in the mid-1980s to describe an invisible barrier that prevents women executives from being promoted to the top or corporate management” (Lee and Wagner). The glass ceiling can have different connotations for each person. People may sometimes think of denotation when they talk about the glass ceiling. The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy defines the glass ceiling as “an unacknowledged – and ultimately illegal – barrier [to] progress, especially for women and people of color” (Glass Roof). Many companies do not believe this is an illegal decision; however, after President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, it became an illegal act (Shuster). Government structures comply with this law which makes employee pay transparent, reducing the gender pay gap, “the gender pay gap was only 11%, compared to 23% for the entire full-time workforce” (Burke) . The gender pay gap will be reduced if companies can overcome this invisible barrier and give...... middle of paper ......012 .Obama, Barack. “White House Proclamation: Equal Pay Day Proclamation 2011.” April 11, 2011. U.S. Department of Labor. February 7, 2012 .Shuster, Patrick. "Women give Critz a lot of trouble." June 11, 2011. EBSCOhost. March 9, 2012 .Statistics, US Bureau of Labor. "All Equal Pay Fact Sheets 2011." April 2011. US Department of Labor. February 7 2012 .