Calvin+T’s+Final+AmEx+2015+Speech


 * Gender Wage Gap Myth **

The gender wage gap is a myth. I know this might make some of you angry but hear me out and allow me to explain my reasoning about this common misconception. Now we have all heard that quote that “women are paid 77 cents on the dollar for doing the same work as men.” This quote was made famous by President Obama during his re-election campaign and has been echoed by feminist movements to the point that it is now taken as common knowledge. But where did this claim come from? How many of you have actually seen the raw statistics that support this claim? Well the statistics come from the official Bureau of Labor Department’s 2010 census that show the median earnings of full-time female workers is 77 percent of the median earnings of full-time male workers. This is very different from “77 cents on the dollar for doing the same work as men” and Obama was wrong to say that the 77-cent figure describes the pay difference between men and women “doing the same work.” This 77-cent statistic does not take into account occupation or even hours worked. There are also very many factors that have to be accounted for when comparing median earnings when looking for a gender wage gap. So here is six reasons why the gender income difference is by choice and not by discrimination. 1.Men are far more likely go into a careers that are dangerous. For instance, jobs such as iron working, fishing, logging, and construction are male dominated jobs. And because of the dangerous nature of these jobs they pay more. 2. Men tend to work longer hours compared women. On average a full-time working male works 15% longer than a full-time working female. In the 2010 Bureau of Labor Department statistics that Obama cited “full-time” is considered at least 35 hours. The number of hours worked in the study was not constant meaning that the statistics could be comparing a male who works 40 hours a week to a female who works 35 hours a week. 3.Men are more likely to choose careers that require work on weekends and evenings. 4.Men are far more likely to choose careers in higher paying fields such as engineering, finance, and accounting. About 38% of male professionals were employed in engineering or computer fields while only 7% of female professionals were employed in the same field. Also professional women generally dominate the relatively lower paying jobs that are in healthcare and education. 5..Men are far more likely to work in undesirable locations that in result pays more. 6.Men are more likely to seek high-stress higher-paid jobs when compared to women who work in the same career category. For example, for doctors, men will tend to work in stressful higher paying specializations such as surgery, while women tend to pursue relatively lower paid specializations like pediatrics or family medicine. Now with all of these factors taken into account it’s no wonder that on average men earn more money than women do.With all of these differences in the careers that men and women pick it is wrong to use the 2010 Bureau of Labor Department’s statistics to say that “women are paid 77-cents on the dollar for the same work as men” But what happens when apples are compared to apples and the factors such as hours worked, level of risk, educational background, and work experience are controlled between gender? Well in a more complete study that controlled most relevant variables done by the American Enterprise Institute in 2012, nearly all of the 23% difference in raw gender pay can be associated to factors that are not discrimination. In conclusion the author said quote “labor market discrimination is unlikely to account for more than 5% but may not be present at all.” The claim that women are paid 77 cents on the dollar is also economically illogical. If this claim were true, businesses could replace male workers with female workers to cut labor costs. Now where am I going with all of this? Well in the America that I wish to grow old in I don’t want to see men viewed as oppressive bullies who pay women 77 cents on the dollar for doing the same work as men. I do not want to see men pinned as discriminating against women in the work force when one's choice of career is entirely their own, regardless of gender. This ridiculous claim that the wage gap is because of discrimination is wrong. The signing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by JFK ended gender wage discrimination and today if a women works the same job and hours with the same work experience and education as a man they will receive the same wages. I don’t want this false illusion of a gender wage gap to discourage women from pursuing a high paying career. In fact I want the opposite. I am encouraging women to go into these male dominated fields and become an emergency trauma surgeon or a software engineer. In the America that I wish to grow old in I want the equal opportunity in the job market to be recognized and that it is not subject to gender wage discrimination. Thank you.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Department’s 2010 census, American Enterprise Institute, and a White House Report