How big is the actual gender wage gap?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014

Salon gets wonderfully thorough: At the start of the week, we were puzzled by some of the work we found at Salon.

Our most significant puzzlement concerned a piece by Katie McDonough. McDonough started this-a-way concerning the gender wage gap:
MCDONOUGH (3/23/14): There is something bizarre about celebrating the “top five states for women’s salaries” when women who live in these five states are still making, on average, 90 percent or less of what their male colleagues earn. It’s not wrong, it’s just … strange.

Women in the District of Columbia came out on top, according to an analysis of government and other data from personal finance site NerdWallet, but that means that they make 90.1 percent of what their male colleagues bring home for similar work. Women in Maryland came in second, making 85.3 percent; women in New York rounded out the top five with earnings around 83.9 percent of their male peers.

The gender wage gap is still a real thing in 2014. Women, on average, make 77 cents on the dollar. That gap is bigger and more financially devastating for black and Latina women; trans women are incredibly vulnerable to pay discrimination, as well as other forms of job discrimination.
“The gender wage gap is still a real thing,” McDonough wrote, making a perfectly accurate statement. “Women, on average, make 77 cents on the dollar.”

You may note that she didn’t say “for the same work.” But she said “for similar work” in the preceding paragraph.

We’ll guess that this topic may get lots of play in the coming year. Ideally, that will give us a chance to get more clear on the way the wage gap works.

In those, her first three paragraphs, McDonough was repeating familiar claims. In these, her next two paragraphs, the Salonster began to fight:
MCDONOUGH (continuing directly): And since I am so incredibly tired of hearing that the gender wage gap has been “debunked,” let’s direct everyone’s attention to a report from the Government Accountability Office on how the pay gap persists even after one takes into account part-time work and women working fewer hours or taking time off to raise children or care for family members. (All lifestyle “choices,” by the way, that are deeply informed by cultural norms that shoulder women with a majority of caregiving responsibilities, but I digress or whatever!)

After doing a quantitative analysis of a nationally representative longitudinal data set, the GAO found that while many factors influence wage disparities, when you remove all of these differences, women still earn around 80 percent of men’s wages.
“Even after accounting for key factors that affect earnings,” the report notes, “our model could not explain all of the difference in earnings between men and women.” (For more on this, Bryce Covert has a wonderfully thorough piece over at the Nation.)
McDonough says she’s incredibly tired of hearing the gender wage gap debunked. In the interest of debunking that debunking, she cites a GAO study (from 2003) which said the gender wage gap is 80 percent (or was in the year 2000).

She recommended Covert’s “wonderfully thorough piece,” which, in its wonderfully thorough way, restricted itself to that one study when it came to the size of the gap.

We’re not experts on this topic. We’d like to understand it better. For that reason, McDonough’s piece sent us clicking around.

We’re still not experts on the gap. That said, in the next few days, we’ll post some of what we’ve found.

Two guesses: This topic may get large play this year. If it does, the new Salon may plow some old or new ground.

27 comments:

  1. Clickbait alert!

    Bob's flailing away and reaching into the past for he considers to be his Golden Oldies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boxcar Willie lives on as long as we spin him again and again.

      Delete
    2. My name is ADMAS ELLIA and i want to testify of the good work done by a
      faithful man DR OFURE a spell caster in my life i never thought there is
      such thing as spiritual intercession. my problem started 5 months back when
      the father of my kids started putting up some strange behaviour, i never
      knew he was having an affair outside our matrimonial home. it dawn on me on
      that faithful day 4th of April 20st 2:23pm when he came to the house to
      pick his things, that was when i knew that situation has gotten out of hand
      and he then told me he want to quit the marriage which i have built for
      over 6 years, i was confused and dumbfounded i called on family's and
      friends but to no avail. two months after i started having problem with my
      kids welfare, rent-age and all of it, i really went through hair. until a
      day i was browsing on the internet and i happen to meet DR OFRUE, i never
      believed on this but i needed my man back so i gave the spell caster my
      problem at first i never trusted him so i was just doing it but you know a
      problem shared is half solved after 2das my husband called me Telling me
      that he his coming back home and that was all. now we are living happily as
      husband and wife, i still can believe it just too real to be real it highly
      unbelievable on this great joy for those of you that are going through
      heart broke or any kind of problem i must tell you this great man has the
      power to solve any problem hear is the great man
      email:OFURELOVESPELL@GMAIL.COM or you call +2348149158514

      Delete
    3. My names are Ashley Vivian, Am here to share a testimony on how Dr Raypower helped me. After 1/5 year relationship with my boyfriend, he changed suddenly and stopped contacting me regularly, he would come up with excuses of not seeing me all the time. He stopped answering my calls and my sms and he stopped seeing me regularly. I then started catching him with different girls several times but every time he would say that he love me and that he needed some time to think about our relationship. But cannot stop thinking about him so i decided to go online and i saw so many good talk about this spell caster called Dr Raypower and i contact him and explain my problems to him. He cast a love spell for me which i use and after 24 hours, my boyfriend came back to me and started contacting me regularly and we moved in together after a few months and he was more open to me than before and he started spending more time with me than his friends. We eventually got married and we now have been married happily for 3 years with a son. Ever since Dr Raypower helped me, my partner is very stable, faithful and closer to me than before.You can also contact this spell caster and get your relationship fix Email: urgentspellcast@gmail.com see more reviews about him on his website: http://urgentspellcast.website2.me Call or WhatsApp: +1 (424) 330-8109 also view his blog: https://urgentspellcast.blogspot.com/








      My names are Ashley Vivian, Am here to share a testimony on how Dr Raypower helped me. After 1/5 year relationship with my boyfriend, he changed suddenly and stopped contacting me regularly, he would come up with excuses of not seeing me all the time. He stopped answering my calls and my sms and he stopped seeing me regularly. I then started catching him with different girls several times but every time he would say that he love me and that he needed some time to think about our relationship. But cannot stop thinking about him so i decided to go online and i saw so many good talk about this spell caster called Dr Raypower and i contact him and explain my problems to him. He cast a love spell for me which i use and after 24 hours, my boyfriend came back to me and started contacting me regularly and we moved in together after a few months and he was more open to me than before and he started spending more time with me than his friends. We eventually got married and we now have been married happily for 3 years with a son. Ever since Dr Raypower helped me, my partner is very stable, faithful and closer to me than before.You can also contact this spell caster and get your relationship fix Email: urgentspellcast@gmail.com see more reviews about him on his website: http://urgentspellcast.website2.me Call or WhatsApp: +1 (424) 330-8109 also view his blog: https://urgentspellcast.blogspot.com/

      Delete
    4. WOW!! This is the most wonderful thing i have ever experience in my life, My name is Terri Pamela, I never thought I will smile again, after my husband left me with two kids for one year, All effort to bring him back failed and i was desperate to bring him back home I thought I'm not going to see him again not until I met a lady called Miller on Facebook who told me about a spell caster called Dr Osauyi She gave me his email address and mobile number and I contacted him and he assured me that within 48hours my husband will come back to me, i feel happy already when i had that from him, In less than 48hours my husband came back started begging for forgiveness saying it is the devils work, so I'm still surprise till now about this miracle, because it just too real to be real I know so many lady are at there with the same problem of my but i tell you today that there is a solution for it Email Dr Osauyi on

      Osauyilovespell@yahoo.com
      Osauyilovgespellhelp@gmail.com
      whatssap +2347064294395

      Delete
  2. My Name is johnson Wilson..I never
    believed in Love Spells or Magics until I
    met this special spell caster when i went
    to Africa to Execute some business..He is
    really powerful..My wife and I were divorce with
    no reason for almost 3 years and i tried
    all i could to have her back because i really
    love her so much but all my effort did
    not work out.. we met at our early age at
    the college and we both have feelings for
    each other and we got married happily
    for 5 years with no kid and she woke up
    one morning and said it is over between us and she is going to get a divorce..i thought it was a joke and
    when she came back from work she
    tender to me a divorce letter and she
    packed all her loads from my house..i
    ran mad and i tried all i could to have
    her back but all did not work out..i was
    lonely for almost 3 years…So when i told
    the spell caster what happened he said
    he will help me and he asked for her full
    name and her picture..i gave him
    that..At first i was skeptical but i gave it
    a try because i have tried so many spell
    casters and there was no solution…so when
    he finished with the readings,he got back
    to me that she’s with a man and that
    man is the reason why she left me…The
    spell caster said he will help me with a
    spell that will surely bring her back.but i
    never believe all this…he told me i will
    see a positive result within 3 days..3
    days later,she called me herself and
    came to me apologizing and she told me
    she will come back to me..at first I didn't believe it,it was like a dream because i never
    believe this will work out after trying
    many spell casters and there was no
    solution..The spell caster is so powerful
    and after that he helped me with a
    pregnancy spell and my wife got
    pregnant a month later..we are now
    happy been together again and with
    lovely kid..This spell caster has really
    changed my life and i will forever be
    thankful to him..he has helped many
    friends too with similar problem and
    they are happy and thankful to him..This
    man is indeed the most powerful spell
    caster i have ever experienced in life..Am
    Posting this to the Forum in case there is
    anyone who has similar problem and still
    looking for a way out..you can reach him
    here: alexzanderhightemple@gmail.com......
    CONTACT THIS POWERFUL SPELL CASTER
    TODAY VIA EMAI.alexzanderhightemple@gmail.com.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder if your spell caster can make possible love between a media muser and a millionairess cable clown?

      Delete
  3. Can't wait to see it. U.S. Census Bureau says:

    "The changes in the real median earnings of men and women who worked full time, year- round between 2011 and 2012 were not statistically significant. In 2012, the median earnings of women who worked full time, year-round ($37,791) was 77 percent of that for men working full time, year-round ($49,398) ─ not statistically different from the 2011 ratio. The female-to-male earnings ratio has not experienced a statistically significant annual increase since 2007."

    ReplyDelete
  4. The correct term would be "job gap" if it's anything, but that doesn't have the same sex appeal as wage gap, which makes it sound like women aren't getting equal pay for equal work.

    But it does keep the rubes and the tribal ones preoccupied and distracted, so any public debate will be meaningless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There was also a "job gap" between slaves and plantation owners.

      Delete
    2. Just like a tribalist to drop the really big R bomb.

      Delete
  5. OMB

    It will be fascinating to see your report. Old claims may turn out to be oversold or bogus. But if you can be believed, it sounds like the impending review could contain real information, based upon new sources.

    We think you should find that the US Census Bureau numbers are a report of self reported annual gross wage income of those who report working full time. Comparing those numbers, which produces the 77 cents on the dollar figure so often cited, does not measure equal pay for equal work.

    Wow! Will this review include real information about the real wages paid to men and women doing the same job?

    Obviously, we don’t know the answer to that. But it sounds like that could be possible, given the clicking you say you are doing.

    That could all be piddle, of course. The review could be a big dud.

    What you will report finding, we predict is, like the finding of Chris Christie's million dollar taxpayer funded investigation of himself, nothing that causes you to find any wrongdoing in your previous writing on this subject.

    But we don't know. Anything is possible. We look forward to seeing an old dog do a new trick.

    KZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I join you in that prediction in which our resident non-expert, after doing all that clicking around, will simply proclaim that "we can't possibly know" thus the Census Bureau data is "misleading" and he is "right."

      And I am sure his exhaustive review will include the words of the 2000 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States, who cited a 73 cents on the dollar figure, and that is How He Got There.


      Delete
    2. When BOB does his clicking, will he find any Gore references to the gap in speeches or just look in formal campaign literature? If he does the latter we can be sure he will find more complete disclaimers of the causes of the gap. This will allow him to say Gore was not trying to mislead, just as Gore was not saying he invented the internet by saying he took the initiative to create it when he was speaking extemporaneously.

      KZ

      Delete
    3. I agree with KZ. These posts from BOB are not important don't reveal any truths.

      Delete
    4. Bob reveals many truths. He also raises important questions.

      Bob, above all others in the blogosphere challenges us to see ourselves in naked adoration of our tribes.

      I cannot see the collapse of our broken intellectual culture around me but thanks to Bob I can read about it with my own two eyes. The emperor has no clothes and his followers wear war paint. Bob is a treasure for bringing that to our attention.

      Thanks to Bob I know black kids are doing better in school despite everyone being on the backs of their teachers and I should avoid Hawking despite what critics say.

      Delete
    5. Exactly! Nothing to see here. Just a failed comic jealous of others. Maddow does great!!!!

      Delete
    6. You must not read well. According to KZ, Maddow is just what Bob could have been with better career management.

      Delete
  6. Bob, post after post is superb these days. I am always grateful for your writing, but especially so with these searching posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, Sherlock Holmes
      Sam Spade got nothin', child, on BOB,
      Sergeant Friday, Charlie Chan
      And Boston Blackie
      No matter where it's a hiding
      Truth's gonna hear him a comin'

      Gonna walk right down that street
      Like Bulldog Drummond
      'Cause he's been searchin'
      Oooh, Lord, searchin', mm child
      Searchin' every which a-way
      Yeah, yeah but he's like the Northwest Mounties
      You know he'll bring it in some day.

      KZ

      Delete
    2. Hello to every one out there, my name is Myrtice Annette. from Texas United States I'm here to shear my unexpected miracle

      that has happen to me through the help of DR Oduma O. I was happily married and we had three kids, we lived together as one

      because we both loved each other but before I knew it, my husband started acting funny and cheating on me later on, he told

      me that he cannot continue with me so that was how he left me and my three kids without noting but there was noting i could

      do to stop him or bring him back to me. I work so had to pay the kids schools BILLS and other BILLS for good five years. I

      cry all day and night because I didn't know what to do to have my husband back to me until this faithful day I read the

      post from one Miss Escobar testifying how the great spell caster helped her to bring her ex back. I just wanted to try my

      luck because I never believe it will work but to my greatest surprise, am singing a new song i contacted the great spell

      caster and he told me not to worry because once he finish casting the spell, that I will get back my husband . The

      unbelievable happened on Sunday when I got a call and I was surprise to hear my husbands voice apologizing to me that he's

      so sorry for his Wrong did and telling me he's back home again and we are happily united again. wow!!! I really appreciate

      your good works great Dr.Oduma. I'll always acknowledge your "FABULOUS WORKS" and there's noting I could say than to tell

      the world about you. So if any one is out here seeing this post and you have similar issue like this, worry no more and

      contact this great spell caster that can help you. Dr.Oduma is available anytime you contact him..via email

      (odumaspiratualtemplehouse@gmail.com) or contact him if you also have this problems;

      )If you want to win lottery
      )If you need beauty spell
      )If you want your hair to be long
      )If you have HIV and you want to cure it
      )If you want to cure your cancer disease.

      How the great Dr Oduma helped me can call him on phone +2347055413648

      Delete
  7. Think of how hard business fights rises in the minimum wage. Think of how mightily they struggle to automate tasks. Think of how hard they outsource high-paying jobs, and import cheap labor. If it were really cheaper to employ women than men, every man in the country would be laid off within the year.

    ReplyDelete

  8. How To Get Your husband Back & Avoid Divorce,Love Spells That Really Work Fast


    My Name is Vicky Lorimer, I am From United Kingdom.i am hear to give testimony of how i got back my husband, we got married for more than 9 years and have gotten two kids. thing were going well with us and we are always happy. until one day my husband started to behave in a way i could not understand, i was very confused by the way he treat me and the kids. later that month he did not come home again and he called me that he want a divorce, i asked him what have i done wrong to deserve this from him, all he was saying is that he want a divorce that he hate me and do not want to see me again in his life, i was mad and also frustrated do not know what to do,i was sick for more than 2 weeks because of the divorce. i love him so much he was everything to me without him my life is incomplete. i told my sister and she told me to contact a spell caster, i never believe in all this spell casting of a thing. i just want to try if something will come out of it. i contacted Dr Brave for the return of my husband to me, they told me that my husband have been taken by another woman, that she cast a spell on him that is why he hate me and also want us to divorce. then they told me that they have to cast a spell on him that will make him return to me and the kids, they casted the spell and after a week my husband called me and he told me that i should forgive him, he started to apologize on phone and said that he still love me that he did not know what happen to him that he left me. it was the spell that Dr Brave casted on him that make him to come back to me today,me and my family are now happy again today. thank you Dr Brave for what you have done for me i would have been nothing today if not for your great spell. i want you my friends who are passing through all this kind of love problem of getting back their husband, wife , or ex boyfriend and girlfriend to contact bravespellcaster@gmail.com. and you will see that your problem will be solved without any delay.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don’t think it’s right that woman have the other salary for the same work. But I don’t know how to change it. Also I don’t want to say about discrimination, because it won’t lead to any wise conclusion. I just want to recommend a good on-line service here http://northandloans.ca/ that gives payday loans online. It’s not dependent on the gender, so you will happily take extra money for short period. You just need to fill in the application form and confirm your solvency by showing the month budget of income.

    ReplyDelete
  11. i am here so the world will know there is still a real spell caster whose interest is seeing people happy and spiritually free from any oppression from the wicked. I will leave his email address so you can contact him and explain you ordeal to him. Meet him on his email address at [esususpell@gmail.com] You can also contact him by phone his number is +2348154207044

    ReplyDelete
  12. My Marriage restoration journey started 4 days ago when my husband of 22 years changed me for a woman 10 years younger. I am 57 and he is 55. I went through the desert and during my journey I found Dr Isiramen. God used him to heal my broken heart and took my pains away with his Powerful Love spell. I trust the Lord and I know that He is going to restore my marriage. We need to have faith. Faith is the assurance of things we hope for and the conviction of things not seen. Men and women please do not give up, God can and will restore your marriage . Don’t loose hope. You must fall in love with the Lord.
    Contact Dr Isiramen For a Powerful love spell sent from God . via Email: drisiramen@hotmail.com or call or wha+17072613058 good luck

    1) Lottery winning spell
    2) Cure of herpes virus
    3) You want to be promoted in your office

    Contact this great man if you are having any problem for a lasting solution
    for guidelines via Email: drisiramen@hotmail.com or call or wha+17072613058 good luck

    ReplyDelete