Your gender doesn’t determine your success; your career choice does

November 9, 2015

There are many choices that we make in our lives, whether it’s eating breakfast in the morning, sleeping in a few more minutes or eating lunch on or off campus. One of the biggest decisions is choosing what career (or careers) someone sticks with for the remainder of their lives.
This choice was historically influenced by the argument that the wage gap exists. With extensive research and an open mind, it is realized that the “women earn 77 to 78 cents per a man’s dollar” argument is no longer valid.

(EN Illustration / Emily Ford)
(EN Illustration / Emily Ford)

The American Association of University Women was founded in 1881 on the basis that women would reach not only pay equity but social equality as well.
The figures shown in their regularly updated book ‘The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap’ consist of women’s median annual earnings shown in percentages to men’s over time, locations where women’s earnings are less than men’s, so on and so forth.

Their data is credible, coming from federal agencies such as the Census Bureau, the Department of Education, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. What seems to be lacking is acceptance of why the data reads as it does.
It comes down to choices.
According to the AAUW fact book, the authors acknowledge “these gaps do reflect men’s and women’s choices, especially the choice of college major and the type of job pursued after graduation.” However, it goes on to say that not all of the gap can be “explained away.” With regards to unemployment, workweek, economic sector and other variables, they argue there is a 7 percent difference in earnings that is not explained.

But, if this 7 percent difference is the case, would it not be easier to fire men and replace them with women at an almost 25 percent cut in the cost of salary?

In an article posted by the Washington Post, fact checker Glenn Kessler pointed out that women generally choose lower- paying fields.
For example, in Forbes’ list of the “The Best- Paying Jobs of 2015,” the top jobs were primarily male-dominant careers, including surgeons, senior- level corporate executives, dentists and petroleum engineers.

Maatz, a spokeswoman for AAUW, who confirmed that they are still trying to figure out how much of the gender-wage gap is due to discrimination.
President Obama’s administration actively pushes the 77-to-78-cent figure yet accepts that women with lower-paying jobs skew the average median income.
We want to feel good about standing up to social binaries and promoting gender equality, however, given the evidence, it is hard to fight for a cause that is no longer accurate.

Relating directly back to the AAUW, the Washington Examiner also debunked the wage gap in an interview with Lisa Maatz, a spokeswoman for AAUW, who confirmed that they are still trying to figure out how much of the gender-wage gap is due to discrimination.

President Obama’s administration actively pushes the 77-to-78-cent figure yet accepts that women with lower-paying jobs skew the average median income.
We want to feel good about standing up to social binaries and promoting gender equality, however, given the evidence, it is hard to fight for a cause that is no longer accurate.