I read a Huffington Post article recently suggesting that AAUW and "serious economists" have teamed up and "exposed the wage gap" as myth. The article pointed to a couple of AAUW's findings to demonstrate their point.
The AAUW report states that it "Compares 'apples' to 'apples' by looking at the pay gap after controlling for various factors known to affect earnings, such as occupation, college major, and hours worked." After comparing these apples, AAUW found only a 7% difference in pay between men and women.
Yes, when male and female counterparts take the same amount of time off for family matters, they're making closer to the same wages. Reality check - family matters are often taken on by women rather than men - which affects their wages. Is this obligation? Choice? Tradition?
Similarly, when men and women work the same job, they're closer to closing the wage gap. Reality check - there are less women in those high paying male-dominated jobs.
The AAUW report states that it "Compares 'apples' to 'apples' by looking at the pay gap after controlling for various factors known to affect earnings, such as occupation, college major, and hours worked." After comparing these apples, AAUW found only a 7% difference in pay between men and women.
Yes, when male and female counterparts take the same amount of time off for family matters, they're making closer to the same wages. Reality check - family matters are often taken on by women rather than men - which affects their wages. Is this obligation? Choice? Tradition?
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| EqualPaybackProject.com Info Graphic |
What do you think?
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Check back for further discussion on the wage gap, let's chat.
I don't disagree that there's an issue with wage disparity between the genders, but I do have one thing to point out in this graphic. Truck drivers (Teamsters), Maintenance workers (various, but mainly SEIU), and construction workers (various craft unions) all make the wages they do likely because of union-negotiated contracts. Nurses and childcare workers have just only recently begun to organize, and teachers unions are hit and miss depending on the state. I'm not quite sure it's a gender issue between these occupations, but a difference of being part of a labor union or not.
ReplyDeleteJosh Allenberg, this is a very interesting point. During the Closing the Gap: Talk Show I do recall Terry O'Neill touching on this subject. She encouraged women in the audience to join unions for this very reason. It's possible that having female-dominated jobs in unions could lead to better workplace policy on paid family leave, and overall better compensation for women. Why do you think it is that there are not as many female dominated labor unions?
ReplyDeleteIt's just addressing corporate business, but this makes me think of the observation made in the New York Times that there are less women in leadership roles at large companies than men named John.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/upshot/fewer-women-run-big-companies-than-men-named-john.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0
Just one more sort of distressing, sort of humorous angle on the situation.
What the graphic doesn't point out is that those male dominated jobs are also much more hazardous than the female dominated jobs. That is why they are dominated by men and pay more.
ReplyDeleteWhat the graphic doesn't point out is that those male dominated jobs are also much more hazardous than the female dominated jobs. That is why they are dominated by men and pay more.
ReplyDelete