Spadea — Activists and agitators need to face reality on gender pay gap

Today I thought it was appropriate to revisit the conversation on the absolute farce of the gender pay gap.

Part of the conversation was sparked by a story that my Chasing News colleague, Diana Blass was covering today about a statue of a young girl on Wall Street purposefully placed to send a message about having more women on corporate boards. This is just another attempt to play into the myth that women are not empowered in the workplace. It works mainly because people seem top respond to the best victim. Victim status gives you the right to cry, whine and call for action. Let's look at some of the real progress in the industrialized world when it comes to women in the workplace.

How about the fact that there is a reverse gender gap among millennial women and men? That right, despite the lies and propaganda about a pay gap, single women under thirty make more than their male counterparts. There's a study from the UK...from a few years ago...and another showing the same thing in a majority of US cities...

Women in their 20s have reversed the gender pay gap, but their earning power is still overtaken by men later in life. Figures compiled by the Press Association have shown that between the ages of 22 and 29, a woman will typically earn £1,111 more per annum than her male counterparts.

Using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), PA analyzed the comparative earnings of men and women between 2006 and 2013. Statistics for 2014 have yet to be verified and were excluded.

There is more evidence that the tide may be turning around, evidenced by an article in Time where a study of 147 out of 150 of the biggest cities in the U.S., the median full-time salaries of young women are 8% higher than those of the guys in their peer group.

And again, as a follow up from our conversation yesterday, women earning less is most likely due to choices that she has made. Going back to work, having kids, choice of career, and college major.

Consider, for example this article from the Daily Beast, where it explains how men and women differ in their college majors. Much of the diversity can be explained by the career choice:

Here is a list (PDF) of the ten most remunerative majors compiled by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Men overwhelmingly outnumber women in all but one of them:

1. Petroleum Engineering: 87% male

2. Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration: 48% male

3. Mathematics and Computer Science: 67% male

4. Aerospace Engineering: 88% male

5. Chemical Engineering: 72% male

6. Electrical Engineering: 89% male

7. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering: 97% male

8. Mechanical Engineering: 90% male

9. Metallurgical Engineering: 83% male

10. Mining and Mineral Engineering: 90% male

And here are the 10 least remunerative majors—where women prevail in nine out of ten:

1. Counseling Psychology: 74% female

2. Early Childhood Education: 97% female

3. Theology and Religious Vocations: 34% female

4. Human Services and Community Organization: 81% female

5. Social Work: 88% female

6. Drama and Theater Arts: 60% female

7. Studio Arts: 66% female

8. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services: 94% female

9. Visual and Performing Arts: 77% female

10. Health and Medical Preparatory Programs: 55% female

Then there's the pesky little fact about women now holding a majority of managerial positions in the US...isn't it awful when facts get in the way of a good cry session for those that would prefer to be a victim?

Bottom line is that it's easy to continue to play up the victim role, raise 'awareness' and shout from the rooftops about the lack of fairness and equality in the world. The truth however shatters this notion beyond any doubt. Strong women, raising families and rising to the occasion as managers, entrepreneurs and mothers have really changed the conversation.

Now if the activists and agitators can finally come to grips with reality.