Even though research and data from multiple organizations have found that there is in fact a significant gender pay gap in America, not everyone believes in numbers. And with the power of the internet and the hashtag #EqualPayDay, we get to see how some people really feel about the gender pay gap and equal pay for women. Hold on to your unicorns, people, because the debate starts … now.
(Photo Credit: Uncalno/Flickr)
How many times until you herp derps get this?
The ‘wage gap’ myth doesn’t take into account longer hours worked by men.#EqualPayDay
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) April 12, 2016
It’s likely that there are studies out there that don’t account for hours worked in the equation of the gender pay gap. But in a recent PayScale study where we accounted for hours worked, we found that in both the controlled (adjusted for outside factors like experience, education, company size, job level) and uncontrolled data (all men vs. all women), men still earn more than women. For example, on a manager level, we found a controlled gender wage gap of -3.1 percent while the uncontrolled gap was much larger, at -23.1 percent. Looks like this myth just got turned into a real-life fact.
On this #EqualPayDay I would like to remind everyone that the “Wage Gap” IS a myth. It is an EARNINGS gap because women CHOOSE to EARN less
— Nephanor PhD andN (@Nephanor) April 12, 2016
First of all, I believe it’s important to note here that women do not intentionally choose to go into lower-paying fields. The truth is that most women, from a young age, are not encouraged to go into high-paying fields like engineering and science. Women have always been discouraged from entering challenging fields, opting for careers that have a low salary but have a high societal impact. This includes jobs like teaching or social work. But despite the fact that some women cluster around low-paying jobs, a career shift still would not help as women make less than men in every industry and job.
The wage gap is a myth and if you believe it you can’t think for yourself so you probably don’t deserve a raise anyways. #EqualPayDay
— Danielle Butcher (@RepublicanSass) April 12, 2016
Well. We’ve already established that there is in fact a gender wage gap. In a survey of over 40 million people, PayScale found that women only earn 74 cents to every dollar a man makes.
So now that we know that this tweet is absolutely ridiculous, let’s focus on the other half of this equation. Whether there is a gender pay gap or not (there is one), you still probably want a raise. In another study by PayScale, we found that 75 percent of people who ask for a raise, end up getting an increase in compensation.
The best thing you can do is to know your market value. Using PayScale, you can get a free salary report and use that to negotiate your raise. If you’re a woman, negotiating your salary is a big step forward and can help pave the way for other women to do the same.
My Board of Directors would have jumped at the chance to hire women if it was cheaper. They never mentioned it once. #EqualPayDay is a myth.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) April 12, 2016
Thanks for mansplaining that for us, Mark. This tweet is a good reminder that we don’t always know what’s going on within our own organizations. And this kind of thinking is exactly what perpetuates and fuels a male-dominated work culture. And as it turns out, Mark doesn’t really have his facts together. It’s not just about women getting paid the same as men, it’s also about promoting more women to leadership positions. Those women who are in leadership/executive level positions actually experience the largest wage gap, with an uncontrolled gap of -32.8 percent and a controlled gap of -6.1 percent.
If you have to remove personal choice to make your myth about #EqualPayDay sound credible, maybe you’re not very good at being a feminist.
— Sithlord Sabrina (@SabrinaLianne) April 12, 2016
Job choice definitely plays a role in your salary, but not as huge a role as you think. This is exactly why we compared the gender pay gap on both a controlled and uncontrolled level. The uncontrolled level compares all men to all women, while the controlled accounts for things such as years of experience, education, etc. And even so, there is still a gender pay gap. In an uncontrolled setting, women earn 25.6 percent less than men. And this isn’t even the most important topic of this tweet. When you control for other factors, women still earn 2.7 percent less than men. And most importantly, you don’t have to consider yourself a feminist to want equal pay.
Tell Us What You Think!
Have you seen any mean tweets today about #EqualPayDay? We want to hear form you! Comment or join in on the Twitter discussion using the hashtag #EqualPayDay.
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