Why are women seeing red today? Because it’s National Equal Pay Day—a symbol of how far into 2021 women must work in order to earn as much as men earned in 2020. There are many misconceptions about the pay gap, including the belief that it either doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter. Here are five common MYTHS (yes, untrue beliefs) about the wage gap:
- The size of the pay gap depends on how you measure it. The most common estimate is based on differences in annual earnings. NO!
- There is no such thing as the gender pay gap – legitimate differences between men and women cause the gap in pay, not discrimination. NO!
- But the pay gap is not my problem. Once you account for the jobs that require specialized skills or education it goes away. NO!
- Women are responsible for the pay gap because they seek out flexible jobs or choose to work fewer hours. Putting family above work is why women earn less. NO!
- We don’t need to do anything; the gender pay gap will eventually go away by itself. NO!
If you want to know the TRUTH, read the Forbes article Dispelling Myths About The Gender Pay Gap.
And wear red today, in solidarity with the efforts of achieving equal pay for equal work for women and minorities.