Pay Gap?

This post on Huffington Post reflects on the widening gap between pay for men and pay for women. I’m sure there is such a gap, but it wholly depends on how you figure the pay numbers. One of the comments gets right to the point.

Excuse me, but could you please cite the study that shows that a woman, with the exact same experience, and in exactly the same work environment, makes $0.75 for every $1.00 her male co-worker makes? Or, could you please cite the study that shows a 25% difference in the salaries of comparably educated and single (no
spouse or kids) men and women?

If the point is that the gap is caused by discrimination against women, the statistics must be carefully examined. If a man and woman with equal qualifications and experience get paid differently, that may be due to discrimination. I’d venture a guess (admittedly, I cite no studies) that almost always in cases where qualifications and experience are equal, the pay will be the same. To do otherwise is to invite lawsuits.

It’s misleading to just take some aggregate numbers and conclude that pay is unfair. I suppose there are more women in low paying jobs, which if you just look at aggregate numbers will drag down the average. Waitressing, working as a school bus driver, that kind of job, tend to be done more by women, often by choice.

Should a part-time job pay as much as a full-time one? Should a waitress in a café in a small town make as much as a senior manager in a large corporation? Nurse? Architect? I am not convinced that discrimination against women has resulted in a pay gap.