Why is it considered unfortunate that women as a sex earn on average less than men?

Question

After all, women (and men) make work choices within their capacities, or decide to balance their work with child care. I can't see it's either sad or unfair
Opportunities are the important thing; what you do with them is up to you

Answer 1

Here in UK, allowing for hours worked, etc men and women's pay are equal recent findings report.

Answer 2

What's unfortunate is when women don't make the choice to earn less by choosing to work part time or in a job with fewer responsibilities. What's sad and unfair is when women don't get paid equal wages for doing EXACTLY THE SAME job as men. What's unfortunate is that women don't always get equal opportunities.

Answer 3

I agree with Jadea. Not much more to be said.
If a woman gets paid less for doing the exact same job as a man, then that's sexual discrimination. But there are different circumstances where that card cannot be played.
For example, female tennis players argue that the deserve the same pay as male players. How can that be fair when men play for 5 sets per match and women only play for 3?
I think each individual case should be looked seperately to any other and a judgement should be based on that particular scenario.

Answer 4

It's a common myth out there that says that women make less money for the exact same job that a man does. This simply isn't true. What IS true is that women, in general, earn less than the average working man. This isn't because of any anti-woman bias, but because men and women make different career choices. More women work in social sciences, health care, and service industries, while men tend to go into more technical fields which tend to pay more. I think the real question should be: 'Why don't women choose to enter those careers which offer higher salaries?'

Answer 5

It is unfortunate or unfair because if both are qualified with education and experience, why are women getting paid less?

There are many single women out there who need to support families, but earn less than their male counterparts for the same jobs. The women are NOT receiving the same opportunities that men are.

Answer 6

I am a 36 year old married woman with no kids and a bachelors degree in business. I put myself through school by getting a job as a bookkeeper. My co-worker is a 36 year old single male with a high school education. We work in the accounting department and have the exact same job description and title, and we were hired within the same year. Not only have I taken college level classes in accounting, but I have more work experience within the field. Guess who has the higher salary? He does! Yes, I think that is unfortunate. Why not get a different job you say? I'll tell you why, because it's the same just about everywhere I go. It's standard practice to cheat women and it sucks.

Answer 7

Back during the early years of women entering the work force en masse, men were viewed as having families to support, while many women were working to support themselves till they married. In the late 1800's (old west era) female teachers made about half what the male teacher made, and were held to higher moral standards than male teachers, some were not even allowed to date. Why it is still happening is I think the feminists have lost the vision of equal pay for equal work and have started looking at other areas of inequality trying to fix everything at once instead of one problem at a time.

Answer 8

If you think that women are paid less than men you are dumb. Women might have fewer opportunities to get a good paying job, thanks to having a family to support, but it is NOT because they are a woman. Don't assume men have it any better just because they are a man. Guess what. I, a male, know better. I am quite smart and sharp witted but because my mother is a single divorced mom I am forced to support her and have yet had an opportunity to go to college. My credit rating ruined, yet for sake of honor I let myself get burned for my mother and younger brothers sake. Life is NOT fair. If a woman gets knocked up at a young age and ends up with potential opportunities lost that sucks but too bad. If women don't want to screw themselves over it isn't about equal pay it's about not being a dumbass s!lut and screwing like a rabbit when young. People shouldn't even be having sex at high school or maybe even college (which is worse because that time is when people "play the field"). Looking back at all the crap happened, I am actually happy for being a loser virgin, rather than some in some f-ed up marriage doomed to die.

Want a target to bash about inequality? Go bash the media. MTV, magazines, reality shows, you name it. It's all at fault.

Answer 9

It isn't a matter of opportunities; men on average earn more than women because they are more willing to go into higher paid jobs because they have families to support, it fascinates me that people, feminists particularly, seem to think this is women getting the bad deal.

Socially men are still expected to be the bread winners, no matter how much feminism would like to argue otherwise a woman would not be scorned half as much for not providing for a family as a man would, it is part of being 'manly' to provide for your family, and if that means taking any job offered, dangerous jobs such as in mining, construction or even waste disposal then they will take them.

The issue of difference in pay between men and women is not so much about women it is a feminist issue [or anti-feminist issue] because men are the ones who are actually put into the worse situations, yes they earn more, but look at what they have to do in order to earn that money and look where the money goes.

If a man and a woman has the same job and a woman is getting paid less then THAT is a woman getting a raw deal - notice here I say woman, one woman being bad done by does not make it a women's issue per say - but because of what feminism has done for women there are laws and things in place to prevent this.

There is no real push to protect men from the same sort of prejudice in the work place, or protect them from damage posed to them from the norms of social roles.

It is considered unfortanate because feminism rules the roost, and feminism is about impowering women and pushing for women's rights - in pushing for women's rights it by large ignores men's issues such as these seemingly hidden reasons why men earn more than women. More importantly feminism on the whole does not address men and women as equal to push to forward human-kind and society as a whole.

Answer 10

I think you've got it all backwards. Yes women have the same opportunities as men do. Its "unfortunate" for a woman to have the EXACT SAME job as a man and get paid LESS money. This is not only unfortunate but unfair and wrong. Why should a woman get paid less to do exactly what a man is doing just because she is a woman?????????

Answer 11

Ignore Trymeimbritish. He / she is a moron who can't see the word sex without giggling.

It's not unfortunate, it's unacceptable. If women do the same work to the same standard as men they should be paid the same. Gender is unimportant in this respect.

If, due to time off raising a family, one person is less experienced in a job and therefore less able in that job, they can expect to be paid less. Seems fair to me.