The wage gap is real

April 8 was Equal Pay Day, a time for debate about the gender pay gap — and the accusations that it is actually a “myth.”

The controversy has to do with the oft-cited statistic that women earn 77 cents to every dollar a man earns.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, once you take into account difference in occupation and number of hours men tend to work compared to women, the pay gap shrinks to about 88 percent.

“The supposed pay gap appears when marriage and children enter the picture,” the article argues.

The two male authors say that because the pay gap doesn’t always have to do with obvious discrimination, the pay gap is a myth — employers don’t actively check off a box marked “77 cents” for every woman they hire.

This argument blatantly ignores the power societal expectations and gender roles have on the gap.

Overall, the arguments against the gender wage gap grossly oversimplify the many factors and statistics that come into play. It’s partly the fault of the rhetoric President Obama and Democrats have used to frame their argument.

During Saturday’s weekly address, the president compared current workplace policies to a “Mad Men” episode.

This analogy makes it seem as if all gender discrimination today is as blatantly obvious as it is in “Mad Men.”

Granted, like the president, I am not convinced that the “Mad Men” era of sexism is over, as evidenced by the number of sexual harassment lawsuits that still are filed today.

But the comparison oversimplifies the number of social factors that account for the wage gap — a concept difficult to grasp because it requires us to distinguish between personal choice and reinforced gender roles.

The idea that women give up their careers for their families always by choice is wrong.

The United States does not provide much flexibility in its maternity- or paternity-leave policies and is notably different from other developed countries. The system makes it difficult for both parents to remain in the workforce.

Since the U.S. does not offer paid leave for mothers or fathers or child assistance, at least one parent usually has to remain at home with the children. Because of gender norms and the fact that women physically need time to recover after childbirth, it is usually the mother who stays at home — without pay.

Then there are discrepancies within the women who do work full-time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics collected data showing that of 115 jobs cited, men out-earned women in all but three categories.

This is within both traditionally “male” careers, such as finance and accounting, and also traditionally “feminine” careers, such as teaching and nursing.  

It is difficult to know exactly what accounts for these differences, and certainly the lack of policy that enables women to better balance work and family comes into play. But there is also room for other types of discrimination.   

So yes, there is a gender pay gap. I am more inclined to attribute its causes to the social structure that makes us subconsciously categorize men as the primary breadwinners, even though that is not always the case.

Ultimately, though, the biggest takeaway from recent debates is that the gender wage gap debate is more complicated than a sound bite or a headline.

cjellert@indiana.edu