Is this the REAL cause of the wage gap - AND the solution?

Question

Here's a comment by Dr. Warren Farrell, thrice elected to the Board of Directors of NOW in NYC.

"After more than a decade of research for my book, WHY MEN EARN MORE, I discovered that men and women make 25 work-life choices that actually create a wage gap.

Men make decisions that result in their making more money. On the other hand, women make decisions that earn them better lives (e.g., more family and friend time)."

Check these links for more.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/career/20050307a1.asp

http://www.forbes.com/work/compensation/2006/05/12/women-wage-gap-cx_wf_0512earningmore.html

What are your thoughts on this NOW Director's findings? (The links contain summaries).

Has anyone read his book?

Answer 1

It seems plausible to me. Men don't have to spend as much time on marriage and parenthood as women do. That's why there's no such thing as paternity leave or pregnant-wife leave. Damned biology.

Of course, some women (i.e. moi) lead better lives by focusing on their careers. However, this is not a desirable choice for many.

I'll read that book and get back to you with my final verdict.

Answer 2

Its a political interest u see in todays society see the governemnts have run themselves right into a rut an there going on hill as a results of fact they have lied to us an our babies an made the yank Dream to bypass to college an be this sort of fulfillment look so severe high quality properly now have been in a value effective disaster an so we cant bypass returned an fix what we've created so we ought to make extra regulations that contridict our rights an freedom much extra an that places a catalys on what sounds like a answer and so the reality is that preparation has taken a decline an so has the values to get an preparation society isn't what it became into in simple terms a pair years in the past ... They have been given to make some lose there jobs inorder to have room for the recent era so the old die off an the recent come so as that they might teach them in those schems

Answer 3

This makes sense. Since in most societies men HAVE to earn enough money to provide for their families. Most men still have this mentality, it seems. Women have the option of either pursuing a high-paying career, a career that is enjoyable, or staying home with the children.

Answer 4

Scruffy: What a sad world you live in if you don't understand the notion of categorization. I'm sure you atleast understand the concept of "normal" and "homosexual" when used to describe you.

There is nothing but circumstantial evidence to support that gender affects how much one is paid on a GLOBAL scale. On a more person to person range, there is no conspiracy that male managers pay females less, though there are male managers who do.

It all boils down to how much effort one puts into their career; if you act like a flake, you will get paid like one.

Answer 5

I think she's right. Women entrepreneurs make more than men and more than 1/2 of all new businesses are started by women in the U.S. In industry, women often make the choice to answer nature's call and raise a family and forgo the pleasures of corporate advancement. I've seen it many times in Fortune 500 companies myself. Women who choose to dedicate their lives to their jobs usually do better than men of equal skill and energy. Make the chauvenists weren't completely wrong.

Answer 6

Yes, I have read similar information, steve_sider.

Have you ever seen the "Women Don't Ask" book?

http://www.womendontask.com/

I'm pretty sure that this would account for a lot of the unexplained "oppression" inherent in the system.

Answer 7

Would be wonderfull if we could magically merge the 2 to have a better life and more money.

Answer 8

no. you can't talk about "all men" and "all women." there's too much behavior variation between individuals. they don't really fall along gender lines.