The Gender "Wage Gap" is Inaccurate and a Myth in the United States

Many people are concerned with the supposed "gender wage gap" in America. If men were actually payed more than women for the same job, work, etc., I would without a doubt support change for equity. However, this debate and claim have been debunked a multitude of times, as it is easy to do so logically. The main claim that most Americans are probably familiar with is the "78 cents to a man's dollar" idea. Contrary to what many studies will tell the reader/watcher, this statistic is false. It is found by averaging the salaries of American women, and comparing this total to an average American man's salary. Lo and behold, there is a difference; and it turns out that, on average, men make about 20% more money than women in America. Because of this, so many of us are quick to jump to conclusions about what is really going on. Us as humans tend to simplify things, to a point where we often jump to cause-and-effect relationships. When we see that women, on average, are being payed less than men, we establish the notion that there is some sort of discrimination going on. With the gender wage gap, this is simply not the case. Instead of asking ourselves "how much are men in America payed" and "how much are women in America payed" and then comparing the two, we should delve a little deeper and consider all the factors that go into one's wage. Some of these factors, which are of the utmost importance include: experience, education (colleges, degrees, etc.), performance and performance reviews, number of workers and reports managed, certifications or memberships in professional organizations, types of shifts worked (differentiation in desirability and favorability), working conditions (dangers or hazards), and time taken off from work. When all of these components are put into place, it would be found that men and women are actually payed equally when they stack up equally in the previously mentioned factors - this is very important to remember. Women are more likely to perform better than men in many categories such as teaching, veterinary medicine and college graduation. This doesn't mean that men can't do these things, it just means that women are generally better at them. The same goes the other way as well. Men statistically dominate professions such as engineering and computer science. Again, this isn't to say that women can't do these jobs as well or better than men, it simply means that there are statistical differences between the two. On average, men take less time off, and work more dangerous and higher paying jobs than women. There are more men working in 9 of the 10 highest paying jobs in America, whereas out of the 10 lowest paying jobs, 6 out of 10 (plus 1 50-50% tie) are dominated by women. Here are two more important things to ponder: 1. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which is a "labor law that prohibits gender-based wage discrimination in the United States." (History.com) Because of this law, it is illegal to pay men less than women for the same job, performance, time worked, experience, etc. If given that all factors are equal between the man and the woman and they aren't payed equally, it should be reported. 2. Now, my final and maybe most important point: A business's foremost purpose is to make a profit; this is how money works. A business will usually do anything and everything necessary to make the largest profit possible, and a vital part in making money is saving money. Companies of course, have to pay their employees. So, if women are really being payed less than men for the same work (all factors equal), then why wouldn't companies hire only women? By doing this, businesses would be saving around 20 cents for every dollar, in turn increasing the rate of profit drastically, right? This is where a large amount of inconsistency occurs in a gender wage gap argument.