While There is a Valid Wage Gap in America, It is not Based Upon Sexism

To Con - Yes, you assumed correctly. I would like to also adress a loophole that Con may or may not try to take advantage of. While I am sure there are instances of sexism do occur in the modern day work force, it is not a staple trait. The widely spread lie that modern wave feminism likes to spread about indiscriminately is the notion that women make a little more than 3/4 to the dollar that men make (0.77:1, Male and Female respectively) due to some overarching patriarchy or system of sexism. However, they fail to note numerous relevant statistics that explain this number, which is derived from broad averages across industries in terms of both Male and Female Wages. The outline for my argument is as follows: [1] Women work fewer hours, and are prone to leaving the work force due to child birth. [2] Women choose lower paying fields [3] Women tend to avoid some industries involving manual labor. Consequently, this is why we see lower wages in these averages, not a oppressive system. Recent data compiled from a variety of sources by the DOL and BOL (Dept. of Labor/Bureau of Labor) should leave no question that women on average work fewer hours than men. According to the DOL, 60% of women in the work force work part time, and 40% work full time. However, the opposite is true of their male counterparts. Stats according to the BOL tell a more complete story. On average, women work fewer hours a day than men on both the week and weekend, and consequently in total. To be specific, on the days men do work, the spend 52 more minutes present at the workplace than a female colleague. Even more interesting, while women are more likely to work part time, those that did work full time still worked less hours on average than men who worked full time, who clocked in at 8.4 hours to 7.8 hours. Even more indicative of how lifestyle choices effect employment, women who were married had a bigger likelihood of being unemployed, higher than their male spouses. This evidences different gender roles, and while women can act as proxies, men are typically the breadwinners. Unemployment among women who are of childbearing age is also dramatically higher, while men of the same age remain unemployed at roughly a steady rate. This is easy to explain, as it is most likely these women are giving birth during these periods, but this also shows that the different lifestyles and responsibilities between genders. Additionally, only 62% of mothers who have a child age 6 and under are in the work force, and of these most are part time. It is clear through all of this that women undeniably work fewer hours than men [1], which is not a wrong, just a result of a different preference in lifestyles. And in turn, this will effect wage averages, the very ones used to 'prove' a sexist system exists. Secondly, I want to address the fact that women choose lower paying fields to pursue a career in. Its hard to deny that women choose lower paying fields, most of which relate to being caretakers or social workers. In this sense, they make the 'glass ceiling' for themselves by choosing their career fields. The biggest fields women go into according to the DOL are registered nurses, elementary and middle school teachers, and finally secretaries and administrative representatives. The majority of the runners up are also service oriented, such as customer service representatives. More men choose labor oriented jobs, but when it comes down to the higher paying fields such as engineering, software development, and a career in law, men dominate these fields, which are some of the highest paying in the country. You can make the argument that they are paid less by profession, but the argument above stands. Women work fewer hours, and are more likely to leave the workforce overall. So in total, women choose to pursue lower paying fields [2]. The other thing that locks women out in the economy is that they generally avoid labor intensive fields. Paired with the interest women show in higher paying fields (much lower than males), the effectively create their own glass ceiling. Sources: http://www.americanbar.org... http://www.americanbar.org... https://www.bls.gov... https://www.dol.gov... https://www.dol.gov... https://www.dol.gov... To sum up my arguments, which I have provided stats and evidence to back, I maintain the same thesis: The Wage Gap is Not Based off of Sexism. [1] Women work fewer paid hours. [2] Women choose lower paying fields [3] Women avoid labor intensive fields [4] Given [3], women lock themselves our of certain areas of the work force. I would also like to take this moment to point out the equitable opportunity does not mean equal outcome. This is why there is not equal representation of women.