Gender Pay Gap is a Myth

There have been ongoing arguments about the gender way gap and what are the factors to it. Many assume that it has a lot to do with race or ethnicity and this is not the case at all. Gender wage pay has nothing to do with race or ethnicity because when looking at the graphs from the article “ The Gender Wage Gap: 2017 Earning differences by Race and Ethnicity” from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research it has been researched that “Asian workers have higher median weekly earnings than White, Black or Hispanic Workers.

” Which debunks the whole idea that race and ethnicity plays a role in the gender wage gap because both men and women are affected by these types of discrimination but this is not the sole reason as to why men are paid more than women. Therefore, gender wage pay does not exist because women who are in the same work field as men earn the same amount, there is no gender wage gap instead there is gender earning gap, and there are women who have rose above the supposed “gender wage gap”.

In the book Why Men Earn More written by Warren Farrell a Ph.D. in Political Science he unravels some research on why gender wage gaps do not exist. In each chapter of Warren Farrell book there has been research done and one he that found is that no women have died in the Marines or the Air Force. Why is this important? He goes into detail that women who go into the same hazardous work fields as men can get equal pay as the men with the less-than-equal danger. For example, Warren says that running a construction company allows the women all the affirmative action benefits for women-owned construction companies and not having to deal with the hazardous situations that of a construction male worker.

With this Warren is saying that it doesn’t matter what type of work labor it is because regardless if its a man or a women running the company or supervising the work area he explains that it can be done and whether the women faces a dangerous task she will still get paid the same amount. Warren also mentions that he discovered that women can now earn more money for the same work and can defininetly earn more when these women work equal hours at the same job as men and if they both share the same responsibility for the same length of time with equal work rate then their chances of an equal pay is high. Another topic he touches upon is that women are more likely to balance income with a desire for safety , fulfillment, potential from personal growth, flexibility and proximity- to- home and with that he says that this lifestyle advantages have led to more people competing for these jobs and can explain why there is low pay.

In Chapter 6: Why Women and Men approach Work So Differently, Yet So Similarly, he discussed that both men and women can be incharge and can “ be their own bosses” and can see how to manage their priorities how they see fit. But when looking at those differences between businesses owned by men or women it makes a clear image of what their differences in priorities are. He gives an example that female-owned businesses earn only 47% of what male-owned businesses earn and the reason why is because their differences are not affected by corporate requirements or egalitarianism because in the end their pay is measured by their work rate. Warren is aware that there is discrimination against women, but again not because of their race or ethnicity but because the supposedly responsibility of that of a women having to take leave in order to take care of her child and he says that the “ women’s mentorship” works to their advantage and has completely backfired in today’s issue of many women suing men. Adding to that argument, another article by the Institute for women’s Policy Research, they state that there is no proof that being a mother makes the women less productive when doing their job. While these women can take maternity leaves and are given paid days while on leave, it also also offered to men to take parental leaves. It’s not implied that it should only be women that need to take leave so they can be with their children because now it is also offered to men also.

Lastly in Chapter 9 of his book he ask the question as to why are these women are getting paid more for the same work that men do? Warren Farrell talks about the legal measures that have been used in cases of discrimination that have ruled in womens favor. With the help of the “affirmative action tax” and “psychological affirmative action” it certainly has made it very easy for these women who face these type of discrimination to earn more even if the women work less. All these topics that Dr. Farrell discussed about has totally ruled out the assumption that race and ethnicity plays a huge role in gender pay gap. Dr. Farrell focuses all his reasonings with research that help back up his finings and claims as to why these women are making less and what they can do if there are faced with discrimination. Or just simply explains how these women actually do make the same amount as men and what they can use in order to help them in achieving the same pay. Although there can be women working in the same work field ad men there can be a gender earning gap.

In the article titled “There really is no ‘gender wage gap.’ There’s a ‘gender earnings gap’ but ‘paying women well’ won’t close that gap”, its brushed up on many topics regarding that there is no gender wage gap per se but there is a difference in gender earning. The article also mentions that is has nothing to do with gender discrimination and an interesting factor to that is that there is no evidence to show that the men and women working in the same job positions with the same education, background, and qualification are getting paid differently. The article does state that there is indeed a gender earning gap. They use a perfect example of the men and women who have worked at the White House, that although these men and women are certainly getting paid the same amount for the same exact job, the article points out that there are always more men than women working in highest-paid positions and that there more women than men in the lowest-paid jobs. In other words it all depends what job position either the men or women decided to strive for and how the job pays because this can lean either way where if it were a man working at a low- paid position and vise versa.

Also if a women were to have the desire of wanting to work in these higher-paid position or wish to remain in the same work field with more pay as their male colleagues they need to be willing to meet with the demands that just like the men have to deal with and work the same amount of years to meet that goal of achieving the same amount paid. Lastly the article ends with a list as to why these men are being paid more. The first is that more men than women choose to strive and have a career that has the higher pay. For example, in one source by Catalyst a Workplace That Work For Women they demonstrate a table graph with percentages that there are few women in the United States who are earning any degrees in STEM.

Thus, proving that there are less women that are interested in these type of job positions and can explain the difference in their pay. Another example that the articles mentions that ties into the white house example is that with these type of jobs, whether it’d be being a white house staff or maybe an attorney there really is no way of saying that you can’t come in for work or avoid a situation that occurs within that field of work because it’s a very demanding job that's need all the time and attention that it requires. With these sources and the research being done it certainly proves that gender wage gap is not the reason as to why these women are getting paid less or why men who go into these types of job positions tend to make a little bit more money than their female colleagues.

Discriminating just because they are women does not mean they are more likely to get paid less because it solely depends on the career these men and women choose to follow and how these careers have different salaries depending on your work experience and how you plan to act upon the demands of the job. However, there have been stories told by women who have made more money than their spouse and closing the gaps in regarding pay. In a article titled “Four Couples talk about what it’s like when women earn more than men”, a women name Tanya Hersh leads a marketing team in Los Angeles and a year prior to her job her husband Matt Hersh left a high-paying job to join a new firm, and as a result to him leaving his job for a new one, they now see a difference in pay which has now come down to about $100,000. The couple talked about how this made them feel uncomfortable seeing a switch from their salaries from him being the one who earns more but because he moved to a new firm it had now been decreased.

Tanya has pointed out that she did not make as much as her husband but that quickly changed, but the couple both supported each other and Matt says that “she’s the one who’s really putting her neck out on the line.” and then goes on to say that if he had to he would make a change in his job position if they needed to bring in more money. Tanya jokes with Matt that she’s the provider of the family and to that adds a sense of surprise because Matt agrees with her saying “ there’s an ounce of truth”. For Tanya she feels its important for her to be working and bringing home the money she needs in order to provide. This source help create a image that it's not always men who earn more because in this particular case it's the women who is bringing home the money that is need to provide for her family and because the women is willing to put in the work that is needed to bring home the money, she is closing the gender wage gap and rising above the speculation that men make more than women.

Though many still believe gender wage gap is caused by race and ethnicity it clearly steers into a different direction because the main focus is not the color of one’s skin but the desire and the amount of work men or women are willing to bring to the plate. It’s never the sole reason because she is a female she should be pay less and because he is a man he should be paid more, because with the fact that there are women who are in the same work field as men earn the same amount, the idea that there is no gender wage gap but instead a gender earning gap, and there are women who have rose above supposed “gender wage gap”. With the resources used and the research that has been conducted it clearly shows that there is no such thing as a gender wage gap.  

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