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Show THE WAGE D E BAT E WAGE GAP IS A PRODUCT OF FACTORS OTHER THAN GENDER MYTH I here are more CEOs named John KATIE than there are female CEOs. John? Really? Glass ceilings eventually have to crack, right? Wrong. Countless studies and articles disclosing the true facts of gender inequality have been released in light of International Women's Day. Though women have been granted a higher level of equality to men since the days of Rosie the Riveter, there are still major discrepancies — especially in the work place. Opportunities between men and women are not comparable. I say opportunities because mean salary between the two groups is not the only disparity. Women are severely underrepresented in careers involving science and technology and in esteemed positions on the boards of directors of major companies. In a world of growing divorce rates, women have been encouraged to seek an education independently of their spouse in case the marriage deteriorates, but this endorsement does not rationalize the fact women will still make less than men because they are not given the same opportunities to hold positions of substantial income. That is not something that can be changed by more women being independent but is something that must be changed in the way our society perceives the role of women. The S&P 1500 companies comprise 90 percent of all BEZDIJAN mme United States stock value.A greater percentage of those S&P 1500 companies have CEOs named John than female CEOs, according to The New York Times. Whether a woman is Abigail or Zinovia or any name in between, men named John outnumber them. There is no evidence to suggest men are more apt or successful when it comes to financing major businesses, so there is no reason they should outnumber women by such a drastic margin. The reason men are able to obtain more success in leadership positions is because our society has allowed them to. The common beliefs that women should withdraw from their jobs when they have children or that women who are straightforward with their opinions are bossy and intrusive are holding the gender back from obtaining equality with men. Men are just as capable of being the primary caretaker for a child, yet they are not expected to leave their careers when faced with parenthood. Men who speak their minds are never called bossy or impolite — they are merely furthering their business ideals and innovations. The double standard surrounding women and men is what is keeping women out of positions where they hold power and ingenuity, as well as the lack of encouragement women have while trying to accomplish this greatness. The lack of women in science, technology, engineering and math fields — commonly referred to as STEM — is not a contemporary issue but one that has been present since these fields emerged. A study out of Yale University reported that only one-fifth of Ph.D. degrees in physics are awarded to women each year, and only half of those women are American. The study additionally supported the notion that women are underpaid for the same positions: When professors at six major research institutions were presented with imaginary male and female students who possessed identical credentials, they were discernibly inclined to choose the male. When granting the female scholar with the position, her income was set at $4,000 less than the male's. Several different studies mirror this inequality, all with the exact same results. While men were more likely to choose men for positions within their jurisdiction, women were also more likely to choose women when given the chance. However, women are rarely ever given that chance. The STEM fields are already heavily populated with men. This only increases the number of men entering these fields, which perpetually stacks the odds against women. Even when women are able to attain those impossibly high leadership positions, they are not taken seriously. At a shareholders meeting in 2013, CEO of Yahoo! Marissa Mayer was mocked and sexualized by her male correspondents. A shareholder of Yahoo! remarked, "I'm George Polis. I have 2,000 shares in Yahoo!, I'm Greek and I'm a dirty old man and you look attractive, Marissa." Nobody would ever make such crude remarks to an attractive male CEO. Nobody would ever sexualize a prosperous and brilliant man who held an esteemed leadership position. A woman is everything a man is, and the sooner this is realized, the sooner women can achieve their full potential as contributors to society. RI Just give me your honest opinion. Women need to stop being held back by social stereotypes T he idea of a so-called gender wage gap was introduced to me early in high school by a female teacher of mine. She was highly passionate, even bitter, about the matter, informing my class that despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, signed by President John F. Kennedy, a woman still only earns about 77 cents for every dollar a man makes as a full-time employee. As a woman, her harsh attitude struck me at the time, and I developed a more cynical view of the professional world. But over time and after being employed myself several times and never experiencing any sort of gender-related prejudice, I became more skeptical of the notion of such an extreme, sexually biased pay gap. Moreover, it occurred to me the entire concept could very well be so dated as to border on mythological. It seems to me that the fallacy in the typical gender pay-gap argument is the assumption women are not being paid as much as men for doing the same job, working the same number of hours, with the same educational background, etc. But in many cases, this just isn't true. Yes, it is true that overall women make about 77 cents for every dollar men make. However, this statistical representation does not take into account factors not entirely dependent on gender which largely account for a separation in pay between women and men. The statistics suggesting gender-based pay differences do not consider the fact that full-time jobs and the individuals performing those jobs differ from one another in ways that are not tied to gender alone. Certain factors and e Daily Utah „.... . _ . . . .. „: _..„.... . ..,.. Chronic le . ,..,.:-..., ,„-.... .„. .„.. .. ..„..,.__„.„,.. _.. ._ co Campus issues choices make it more difficult for certain groups of people — usually women — to advance in the workforce. However, these factors do not have to affect women exclusively, and every woman (and man) may choose how such potential inhibitors will affect her (or his) professional aspirations and goals. Women sometimes have a hard time pursuing prestigious employment opportunities after they get married and children come into the picture. In fact, raising children is a major reason why women leave the professional world. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a choice. And it's a completely legitimate one. But if women choose to return to their jobs later on, they have to understand their absence will have set them behind their former coworkers, and they probably shouldn't be surprised if they aren't earning the same wages and salaries that their peers who never left are earning. Additionally, according to economic scholars Mark J. Perry and Andrew G. Biggs, in an April 2014 opinion column for The Wall Street Journal, "Many working mothers seek jobs that provide greater flexibility, such as telecommuting or flexible hours." Jobs with more "flexibility" are generally not going to pay as much, whether the employee is male or female. Educational background also contributes to financial earnings in the job market. Often, women pursue majors along the lines of behavioral studies, the arts and the humanities, which generally don't lead to jobs that pay as well. In contrast, men are more likely to engage in math- and science-related studies, leading to jobs that pay more on average. But nobody is telling women they cannot be engineers or accountants, and most traditionally male-dominated programs are even eager to accept women willing to apply themselves to such fields. A couple of other factors contributing to pay discrepancies include bargaining ability in the workforce and high-risk _IF employment positions. Men tend to be more aggressive and are thus able to negotiate higher wages with employers more successfully than women. Additionally, higher-risk and more physically strenuous jobs, such as mining and logging, are more likely to appeal to men. These jobs generally pay higher wages than the service jobs women often take. But, again, women are usually their own barriers when it comes to differences such as these. We as women need to be just as capable of negotiating with our bosses if something doesn't seem fair, and we have the ability to work in risky environments if we choose to. I do see how people could be upset that women are not earning as much money as men under the fallacious premise that the employment conditions are entirely equal between men and women. And I am not so naïve as to believe that there is not some level of gender wage discrimination still in existence today — however, it is a generational issue that to some extent is phasing out. Women need to stop being their own worst enemies. If we really want to live in a "progressive society' they need to choose to step out of customary comfort zones and compete at the highest professional levels. I don't believe women should be granted gender-based copouts when there are clearly factors within women's control to explain such a wage-gap phenomenon. These days women have as much of a choice in how they conduct their lives as men do when it comes to pursuing an education, raising a family and ensuring fair wages for their work. If women choose to realize their fullest professional potential and raise families, it may be necessary for husbands and fathers to take a step back from their careers to help compensate and support their families and their wives' ambitions. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Contact Courtney Tanner c.tanner@chronicle.utah.edu ,,,,: . .--'-I----. -4, -4--,a • -••=-, ''''' obal warming gl hurricanes sident TUITION For the latest info on events going on around the U and Salt Lake City, follow our twitter account at .._„ ...€... ,.... _ •‘,• „..,.,,.....;,....„ Ilk- ..rg' vP'_e1/2i. 41/46'. IV-. 4.: .0....'. • ,.:.:, .. _ I Ii* .-.401pe. .......A.O. ii". • . Ole. for more information. ews reporters Don't just think about it... Start writing. Opinion writers wanted for The Daily Utah Chronicle. 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