Intention

Informing the audience about the gender pay gap

In the commencement address “Make Failure Your Fuel”, Abby Wambach explores the topics of success, unequal pay in the US, and the need for solidarity among women. To inform the audience about the gender pay gap in the US, Wambach uses two main strategies. First, she relies on a personal story in which she shows that even a well-known sportsperson like her has been discriminated against, as she made less money than her male counterparts (ll. 46-58). The story helps her to introduce her second strategy, which is an appeal to reason by using statistical evidence: “…overall, U.S. women earn 80 cents for every dollar paid to men. Black women in America earn 63 cents, while Latinas earn 54 cents, for every dollar paid to white men.” (ll. 63-67)

She then follows with a logical deduction: “Over time, the pay gap means women are able to invest less and save less, so they have to work longer.” (ll. 70-72). In this way, she wants to show that the pay gap has long term effects on women...