It’s disappointing, but not surprising, to see that at Elon University, an “up-and-coming feminist organization” has bought into the myth of a discrimination-based, huge pay gap between men and women: 75 cents for women, $1 for men. The group is hosting a bake sale today and Friday to “raise awareness.” These young women no doubt have their hearts in the right place. I just wish their heads were as well. The discrimination-based 75 cent pay gap cry has been debunked many times. This piece, written several years ago by Diane Furchtgott-Roth for the American Enterprise Institute, is an excellent explanation and resource. First, she writes, here is how the 75 cent figure is determined:
The frequently used 75-cents number is the average full-time woman’s wage divided by the average full-time man’s wage. It compares women who have chosen to be social workers to men who have chosen to be lawyers; women who majored in English literature to men who majored in math; and women who work 35 hours a week to men who work 48 hours.
What really contributes to a gender-based pay gap? She continues (bold emphasis is mine):
First, women have not been in the work force as long as men; 1978 was the first year in which 50 percent of women were in the labor force. Thus fewer women than men have the experience and qualifications to earn high salaries. Many of today’s highest earners received their education and training in the 1960s and 1970s, a time when few women trained for high-paying careers.
Second, even though women now earn 40 percent of law and business degrees, as well as half of medical degrees and 55 percent of all bachelor’s and master’s degrees awarded, many still choose specialties that pay less. They receive about half the doctorates in public administration and communications but only 12 percent of the doctorates in engineering and 24 percent of those in math. Economists Charles Brown and Mary Corcoran found that when educational choices were accounted for, women made 94 percent of men’s earnings.
Third, because 80 percent of women bear children, they often choose careers with more flexible hours that will enable them to combine work and family, thereby sacrificing higher pay. In a 1997 study, Prof. Jane Waldfogel of Columbia University showed that women without children made 95 percent of men’s wages, while women with children made 75 percent.
