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“Wage Gap Reality” 4/17/1998 Recent headlines touted feminists claims of a wage gap that exists between men and women's incomes. According to feminists, the average working woman makes only 74 cents for every dollar earned by her male counterpart. Feminists claim the current salary discrimination adds up to losses of more than $250,000 over a 30-year career. Certainly, if we were to take the feminists at their word, even the most conservative of working women might be riled. However, what they aren't telling you is that this so-called inequity fails to take into account factors that may adversely effect women's income. The level of education, field of employment, years of consecutive work experience, and women's personal choices must be considered when comparing incomes. For example, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found that when comparing the earnings of people who have never had children, women's earnings approach 98 percent of men's earnings. A Concerned Women For America study titled, “Comparable Worth/Pay Equity: Sacrificing Equal Opportunity” found that women have the opportunity to earn as much as men, but they often have different goals and values. The fact that more women work in lower-paying professions is not due to rampant discrimination, as the feminists charge. Many women choose such professions voluntarily because they have decided to keep their families the top priority in their lives. Some turn down promotions because they know that the 60 plus-hours per week required in many top-level positions will keep them from their families. They choose to trade financial compensation for more time at home. In fact, given the choice, most women would rather spend time with their children than at work. A 1996 Wirthlin study reflected that 8 out of 10 women would choose to be full time moms if they could financially afford to do so. Feminists believe women would be better off in an economy where the federal government dictates how much everyone earns. They want to see employer-employee judgment replaced by “comparable worth” or “pay equity” guidelines. Comparable-worth guidelines do not guarantee equal pay for equal work. On the contrary, in practice, they would ensure equal pay for unequal work. Comparable worth allows the government -—not the people -—to decide how much your job is worth. This is a serious infringement on personal freedoms and our free enterprise system. Such guidelines cannot possibly take into account all the subtle factors that establish a fair wage. It is unnatural to impose a universal standard of job value, denying employers the ability to set wages according to changing circumstances. Women do not need the government dictating their wages. What women need is the freedom to negotiate jobs and salaries that allow them to put their families first. And the comparable worth of that decision is invaluable to our society. |
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Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 |
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