A payment is the act of giving money that you owe, or the amount of money that is given. It can be for goods, services, rent, or any other kind of debt.
“Payment” comes from Old French *paiement*, from *paier*, “to pay,” ultimately from Latin *pacare*, “to make peace.” It keeps the sense of settling what is owed to restore balance.
A payment is more than just cash; it’s the moment a promise becomes real. Until you pay, there’s a tension—someone is waiting. The word carries that quiet shift from “I owe you” to “we’re even.”
Access to and control over payment has historically been gendered, with women often excluded from direct wage receipt or financial decision-making. Discussions of “payment” have sometimes framed women’s labor, especially domestic work, as outside the realm of paid work.
Avoid assuming men control or initiate payments; use neutral language about who pays and who is paid. When relevant, note how payment structures can differently impact caregivers and part-time workers.
["remuneration","compensation","fee"]
Movements to recognize and compensate forms of labor disproportionately done by women, such as care work, have shifted how payment is understood in economic and social policy.
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