Why do women get paid less for the same job?

Answer 1

This myth has been so thoroughly debunked, it's embarassing. This is a partial article with references.

The Wage Gap Myth Is Hazardous To Men's Health

by Stephen Jarosek

A study in the May issue of American Economic Review (2003) had found that the wage gap between men and women was the result of lifestyle choices, and not discrimination. It was found that choice, not discrimination, is the determining factor in wage difference 97 percent of the time. The wage gap myth has been debunked numerous times -- for example, by the Independent Women's Forum, and the publication, "Women's Figures", by Furchtgott-Roth and Stolba (1999).

The wage gap fiction was derived from the median wages of all men and all women in the work force, without regard to age, education, occupation, experience or working hours.

It's pretty obvious, isn't it? You'd think that if you had to explain something so self-explanatory, you might as well not bother and go and live in an ashram in India.

We know how it goes…. Women are more likely to work fewer hours so that they can have more time to devote to the caring of children. Men are more likely to value career and therefore, work longer hours per day, devoting many more years to developing their expertise that makes them more valuable. Men are more likely to work in the death careers, such as mining (and therefore get paid more), whereas women are more likely to work in air-conditioned offices, regardless of their skill-level. Women are more likely to pull out of careers in order to raise a family -- the stay-at-home mom is a legitimate, fulfilling option and an ideal escape-hatch. No such fulfilling option is extended to men. The man who chooses the stay-at-home option becomes an invisible drone, of no interest to men or women, employers or government, God or country. And so on.

The various studies that have been coming out have been equalizing the wage-gap disparities, and so feminists no longer have any basis to claim discrimination on the basis of income.

As a further very dramatic example, there was the New York Times article by Lisa Belkin, "The Opt-Out Revolution", published on the 26 th of October, 2003. After arraying a formidable and damning indictment of a revolution choosing to opt out instead of persisting with the good fight, Ms Belkin asks the rhetorical question, "Why don't women run the world?" Her answer is "Maybe it's because they don't want to."

Precisely. The wage gap is not a wage gap at all. It is a choices gap. Put simply, women have more choices than men. In most cases, their additional choices (e.g., stay-at-home-mom) require men to continue providing for them, and this is the reason for the wages gap.


Copyright: Stephen Jarosek (2004)

Answer 2

Think about this for a second. If you were an employer, and you had two equally qualified candidates. But one required a higher wage than the other. You'd higher the cheaper one, right? So, where are the businesses entirely staffed by women? After all, they'd be able to outcompete anyone with any male employees, right? Oh, wait. There must be something wrong with the premise that women don't make as much as men.

They do, in fact, make as much as men for equal work. It's been the law that you can't discriminate against people due to gender since the 1960's.

Answer 3

I don't agree with that assumption. Well, you might say that they get paid less ON AVERAGE for the same JOB, but more of them are part-timers and work fewer hours. I read somewhere that many women are making more than men with the same credentials. Not to mention, they get maternity leave if they get pregnant -- men get equal leave in only a few workplaces. Good night!

Answer 4

cleaners, theres a UN video on youtube, where they interview someone in Belgium who said a woman is called a "cleaning lady" a man is called a "surface technition" so they can get different pay, also checkout operators, men get more than women, for no reason. EDIT: Well, the UN vid showed it occurring in Belgium, Ive also heard of it happening in Walmart, (hey, i worked in a supermarket too :P ) But what happens alot is that womens work is undervalued, like, most admin staff are women, and its considered "womens work", ie, not as good as mens work, becasue its "easy" but i know admin workers, and they do a helluva lot of work for a pathetically low pay, and i canthelp but wonder if there was a man in that same job, would he get more pay? it could be an interesting experiment to find out, we should try it sometime.

Answer 5

They don't. Women ON AVERAGE get paid less than men, but women with the same experience and education and job as men earn as much as men do.

Answer 6

they don't, you're probably referring to stats where women average less , but you can use stats to say anything. For instance you could say women make less beause they, on average, have to take time off for having a baby, would you pay someone to same amoung of money to do a job when they might take a year or two off, that you would have to pay for, or would you rather hire someone who would continue working those 1 or 2 years? see there are many factors that go into making these stats,dont' believe what all the media feeds you.

Answer 7

They don't, that is a myth. If a man and women do the exact same job, put in the same amount of hours, having similar abilities and skills, then they should receive the same pay, otherwise it would be considered discrimination. HTH : )

Answer 8

Because we do not live in a comunist world. I am very happy about the option to negotiate a higher pay for myself than he or she gets, thank you very much. I think women sign contracts with smaller pays, because they only expect to provide for themselfs and as soon as a family is involved they expect a man to pay for most of it. My money is mine, your money is ours. So women are happier with less, or it is men who demand more money, because they eventually will have to provide for a family.

Answer 9

Hi, Robert, darling.

This is a very sad reality.

Women get paid less even when doing the same work or a different work of equal value for complex reasons.
Firstly, they usually work outside PART TIME, in order to have time to work as well the rest of the day at home, this time without a salary (UNPAID WORK)

The fact that they work part time means that they cannot GET INVOLVED in the company or public administration matters as much as men, on average, and consequently, even though they are making the same work, they bear less VISIBILITY and, usuall, are more RELUNCTANT TO CLAIM THEIR RIGHTS as well as to promote in the oganization they are working for, sinc promotion is also very connected to an increase in working hours that most women, having to do housework and care for children and family, can't afford.

Also, companies and bureaucracies have male structures and tend to develop a GENDER DIVISION OF INFORMAL RELATIONSHIPS, which are neccessary to have the acquaintances needed to promote or to claim for one's own rights. Often, women are informally EXCLUDED from these circles by means of subtle strategies such as threat of sexual harrassment, hints and SEXUALLY DISCRIMINATORY LANGUAGE that scare woman and make them more laid back because of their fear of suffering sexual abuse.

Answer 10

They don't. Read this article on the Straight Dope. In a nutshell: women who have the same seniority, the same education, and work the same hours make the same as men at the same jobs, and sometimes MORE.