To isolate the impact of overt gender discrimination-such as a woman being paid less than her male coworker for doing the exact same job-it is typical to adjust for such characteristics. And occupational differences certainly do matter-occupation and industry account for about half of the overall gender wage gap (Blau and Kahn 2016). Many of these skeptics contend that the gender wage gap is driven not by discrimination, but instead by voluntary choices made by men and women-particularly the choice of occupation in which they work. This is despite the fact that over the last several decades millions more women have joined the workforce and made huge gains in their educational attainment.Ĭritics of this widely cited statistic claim it is not solid evidence of economic discrimination against women because it is unadjusted for characteristics other than gender that can affect earnings, such as years of education, work experience, and location. Women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men (Hegewisch and DuMonthier 2016).

Rather, these attempts should examine where our economy provides unequal opportunities for women at every point of their education, training, and career choices. Serious attempts to understand the gender wage gap should not include shifting the blame to women for not earning more. Why it matters, and how to fix it: The gender wage gap is real-and hurts women across the board by suppressing their earnings and making it harder to balance work and family. In other words, even though women disproportionately enter lower-paid, female-dominated occupations, this decision is shaped by discrimination, societal norms, and other forces beyond women’s control.

For example, by the time a woman earns her first dollar, her occupational choice is the culmination of years of education, guidance by mentors, expectations set by those who raised her, hiring practices of firms, and widespread norms and expectations about work–family balance held by employers, co-workers, and society. However, these factors-particularly occupational differences between women and men-are themselves often affected by gender bias. Too often it is assumed that this pay gap is not evidence of discrimination, but is instead a statistical artifact of failing to adjust for factors that could drive earnings differences between men and women.

What this report finds: Women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men-despite the fact that over the last several decades millions more women have joined the workforce and made huge gains in their educational attainment.

The Gender Wage Gap by Melissa Higgins