Is the pay gap between men and women really because of sexism?

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Women earn on average 25% less than men of the same education level. Is this because of discrimination in the workforce, or is it because of personality differences? As in, men are typically more logical and would often pursue a more technical, higher-earning job, such as an engineer or surgeon. Whereas women are typically more driven by emotions, and so often pursue jobs that involve helping others directly, such as a social worker or nurse. Which do you think it is? Or is it something else?Rosemary S--Yes, that's basically what I was getting at.
 
I have my opinion on this and so does CNN money senior editor Jeanne Sahadihttp://money.cnn.com/2006/02/21/commentary/everyday/sahadi/"To the average person, that ratio gives the false impression that any woman working is at risk of being paid 24 cents less per dollar than a man in the same position.But all the wage-gap ratio reflects is a comparison of the median earnings of all working women and men who log at least 35 hours a week on the job, any job. That's it.It doesn't compare those with equal work, equal training, equal education or equal tenure. Nor does it take into account the hours of overtime worked."I am more concerned with the "Fair Pay Act" that was passed a moment ago.. There was some confusion on my other post because the young lady posted the "equal pay act" info and not the new one.I am going to look into it but suspect the new "Fair Pay Act" is unfair.
 
Look if your salary is not fixed by an union you work for what you agree to work for. If there is a paygap it means women sign with 25% less on the contract and that is all it means. Employers do not want to give women fair pay, or men for that matter, they wanted labor as cheaply as possible.Iam sorry but if you do not know your own market value it is your own goddamn fault. If you would sell me an Ipodz for 30$ I wouldnt say, thats not market price, here is 200, I would take it and RUN !!!!
 
From the source listed by the above poster (who seems to believe the article says it's NOT gender discrimination):"However, while those factors account for a good portion of the wage gap, actual pay discrimination likely accounts for the balance, experts say."Hartmann believes discrimination accounts for between 25 percent and 33 percent of the wage gap. Compensation specialist Gary Thornton, a principal in the HR management consulting firm Thornton & Associates, figures at least 10 percent to 15 percent does."Whatever the breakout, there certainly are numerous studies that show discrimination -- however unconscious -- still exists. For instance:"A recent Cornell study found that female job applicants with children would be less likely to get hired, and if they do, would be paid a lower salary than other candidates, male and female. By contrast, male applicants with children would be offered a higher salary than non-fathers and other mothers."A recent Carnegie Mellon study found that female job applicants who tried to negotiate a higher salary were less likely to be hired by male managers, while male applicants were not. "Then there's the phenomenon of wages going down when more women move into a field."Take human resources, now a female-dominated profession. I asked Thornton if he thinks female human-resource managers today are paid as well as he and his male colleagues were 15 years ago. "Not at all," he said. He estimates that in inflation-adjusted terms they're paid about 20 percent less."Why? "That's the million-dollar question," he said. "There are many things at play. But we still have a long way to go to change unintentional discrimination.""A few years back, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that its women scientists were routinely given less pay, space, funding and rewards than their male colleagues."Did anyone intentionally give them smaller offices and labs? Probably not. It's just one of those things (that) accumulate and add up to barriers and institutional discrimination," Hartmann said.
 
After extensive research, I can say, in earnest, that the gap between what ladies and men earn in a given position is nonsense. The free market system ensures that the best or most fit person for a given job will always be more valuable and make more. The reason has nothing to do with gender. This has been explored as nauseum and only modern Feminists believe that there is a real systematic difference in how companies pay men versus ladies. A person's income reflects only what that individual is worth to the business. If one isn't making enough, they either don't deserve it (maybe aren't particularly easy to work with or other non-quantifiable things) or they can't negotiate adequately for what they deserve.Upon close inspection, the so-called wage gap is rubbish.
 
It's a combination of factors really. I think we should be taking into account other things like maternal benefits when comparing men and women's salaries. There's also the possibility that men ask for pay rises more often and negotiate more aggressively. Personally, I can't see how putting in all these discrimination bills (which actually backfires and reduces the desire for employers to employ women) when they aren't going to change much.
 
This is a multifactorial issue. While discrimination may play a part. It is by far the least contributing factor. Having worked in the past in the female dominated field of nursing. I can say with confidence that I was paid no more than the female nurses around me. I am presently in the occupation of medical sales. Where 40 percent of my pay comes from commissions. I know many women who make substantially more money than I do. And as they should, because they have generated more revenue in sales than I have. I wish they would publish a study with more detailed information about which occupations possess pay discrimination.
 
In every job I've worked, females with the same qualifications and experience as males were paid exactly the same. And this was despite the fact that nearly all thse women took far more time off work for personal reasons. Also, they were usually less inclined to work overtime, and less motivated in the job.Check this video out :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtjaBQMog0Q
 
It depends on their ours, but if it is discrimination sue their azzes and get the money you deserve.
 
I think there is a small wage gap in some professions.... but then I work in what has traditionally been a boys club. I get offered less than men who do the same job. I've learned to be more aggressive and demand my rate, what I feel I'm worth. So far, it's worked. :) I think some of it IS a prejudice against women who are tough and negotiate and the other half is that women are coditioned to be nice, and to NOT play hardball with the boys. I feel the problem goes both ways.... Some managers don't like pushier women, and there aren't that many pushy women out there.
 
A tiny bit of it is probably due to sexism, but most of it is comparing all men to all women. And the fact is, more men work in higher-paying jobs, work longer hours, have better qualifications, etc. Most of the pay gap is due to choice, not sexism. Certainly there's not a 25% difference. If there was, what company would hire men if they could hire women to do the same job? It makes no business sense.
 
If you read some of the material surrounding the history and subsequent passage of the Ledbetter Act which was the very first Bill President Obama signed into law just this week, you will see the mistake in your thinking. This woman was doing EXACTLY the same thing, on the same logical, technical, and management level as her male colleagues, receiving good reviews and incremental pay raises (signs of quality work) and only discovered after 20 years that she wasn't receiving the same pay. I would say, too, that if you look at the tasks of the women who have and are serving our country as military officers, for example, and the women who are a part of NASA on every level, you would see other women who are successfully pursuing technical, high-earning jobs. The fact that more women are found in the helping professions could be a reflection of the salaries that come with those professions rather than the personality of the employees. In professional areas where pay equity exists, you'll see a leveling of the percentage of women and men as the human personality is not gender specific! Even though we label traits as masculine or feminine, we might do better to look for neutral terms that do not reflect gender. And, we should, I think, examine our understanding of the meaning of such words as logical and emotional. Take nurturing as a prime example. Both fathers and mothers (and lots of other people, no matter their role in a person's life) are nurturing. Every serious question is an example of critical thinking, and the tone of your question is serious. There's emotion in your question as well. If there were no picture with this question, and it wasn't your question, would you decide it was from a logical male or from an emotional female? Keep thinking!
 
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