Lying about the gender gap--again

Today our bold and brave President announced that for 5.5 years his administration apparently hasn't been enforcing a law passed in 1963--51 years ago. This equal pay dog and pony show by him is such an embarrassment. He lies, and excuses the discrepancy on his own staff while blaming private business. All he has done is promote more law suits and more paper work in a floundering economy.

In 1996, two of my colleagues at OSU looked at the discrepancy in the pay of male and female librarians (Bradigan, Pamela S. and Carol A. Mularski. "Evaluation of Academic Librarians' Publications for Tenure and Initial Promotion," The Journal of Academic Librarianship, v. 22 September 1996 pp. 360-365.) What did they find? Male librarians publish more and relocate more often and are more likely to accept the more challenging jobs. That translates into better pay. If anything, the higher pay that male librarians are willing to go after pulls up the median. The female librarians indirectly benefit from having more men in the field.

Here's how the 77 cent difference plays out. "A receptionist working 38 hours a week at your local dentist’s office is evenly stacked up against a stock broker or a coal miner. The salary of a male neurosurgeon is compared to a female manicurist. A male electrician is contrasted against a Denny’s waitress." MattWalshblog