In this piece, Linda Chavez references data that shines the light on why there are wage gaps between different groups of people, including between men and women.
Working mothers are more likely than men to work part time and take career breaks during the childbearing years, which means they accumulate fewer years of continuous work experience. And women also are more likely to try to balance work and family obligations by choosing occupations that provide more flexibility but less pay. Even women who work full time work fewer hours per week than their male counterparts. When all of these characteristics are factored in, the gender gap largely disappears. Young, childless single women, for example, earn comparable wages to similarly situated men.
Choices matter, and despite what too many women are led to believe, it’s not possible to “have it all” at any single point in life. That goes for men, too.
