Regarding the "wage gap".

[StrongBad]

Everybody interested in the science behind the numbers needs to take some time to watch this video:

It is scientifically based, uses Norway (a very gender equal society) as an example, and illustrates an interesting phenomenon: The Gender Equality Paradox

The more gender equality a society has, the more traditional the split in what profession a gender chooses to pursue.

In a very gender equal society, men overwhelmingly still choose traditionally male professions (i.e. construction) while women choose to pursue traditionally female professions (i.e nursing).

This suggests that men and women (at a general level) have innate interests which influence their career decisions. There are studies reviewed in the video that confirm this.

With this in mind, traditionally "male" fields do actually pay more than traditionally "female" fields due to the supply and demand of labor, which is an explanation on why ostensibly there appears to be widespread wage discrimination. However the science reveals this is actually a deliberate choice made by women with freedom to choose how they want to live.

Additionally, let us not forget that women are always saddled with the burden of procreating and raising children, which drops them out of the workforce (sometimes permanently), which influences the numbers used to calculate the so called gap.

Statistical analysis backs this up, as recent studies show that women 30 and under who live in urban areas make 8% more than their male counterparts:

http://womensissues.about.com/od/womenintheworkforce/a/GenderPayGapClosing.htm

I hope I was able to shed some light on this issue.

[bettyellen]

1. "women are always saddled with the burden of procreating and raising children" Men aren't allowed

to raise their own kids? There would be an uproar if that was remotely true!
Women are having less babies, and many more women are opting out of motherhood entirely. Part of the reason is because too many people think men can't rise them too, or shouldn't be expected to pull their weight at home becuase of the salary differential.

[StrongBad]

3. Of course they are.

But the fact is, unfortunately, that most child rearing is done by women and a lot of women drop out of the workforce entirely if they desire to be a stay at home parent.

Take a look at the numbers regarding single parents. 26% of children being raised today are being raised in a single parent home. Furthermore, 82% of single parent households have the mother as the sole parent:

http://singleparents.about.com/od/legalissues/p/portrait.htm

[bettyellen]

5. wow, it has changed a great deal in my town. I know three stay at home Dads- their partners were

the breadwinners, and the Dads love staying home. At the local playground, you see more Dads than Moms in the afternoons. I always wonder if they are SAHDs or have flex time or what. But things are rapidly changing, that is for sure.

[StrongBad]

6. That's cool. Good for those couples, nothing wrong with SAHDs.

[bettyellen]

8. actually it's four now that I think of it, but the kids are grown up now in that family...

yeah, all these guys were sort of lax about having careers, either freelancing or sort of just coasting. I think the Dads all enjoy it more than they would have guessed. their partners were or became more dedicated earners because somebody has to if you are going to raise kids. in only one case was the woman more of a career person before they got together, she is a lawyer. the others did it out of neccesity pretty much. There has been a baby boom in town, and I tell you- if you count parents and not caregivers, it's about 75% Dads taking the kids to the playground mid day. It is a sea change.

[redqueen]

2. LOL, you even put it in scare quotes. Quality.

Next we'll see people just coming out and saying that the democratic party is just making it up to get women's votes.

[StrongBad]

4. Not scare quotes, just questioning quotes.

Don't we value science, mathematics and reason as the ideal means of exploring our world and drawing conclusions about it? Did you even watch the video or read the study I linked?

Complete aversion to discussing the topic at hand using science, logic, reason, and numbers doesn't bode well for your side of the argument.

[Major Nikon]

7. Some feminists will always believe that gender is nothing more than a social construct

...regardless of the evidence.

This is the reason why certain radical feminists are transgender exclusive (transphobic). If gender is nothing more than a social construct, then transgendered people can't possibly be assigned the "wrong" gender at birth.

Transphobia in the feminist community isn't new and continues to be promoted by radical feminists such as Sheila Jeffreys, Germaine Greer, and Julie Bindel who pathologize transgenderism for a variety of reasons. They characterize being transgender in various ways: as an extremely kinky sexual practice or a mental illness such as body dysmorphic disorder.

http://www.radicalwomen.org/transphobia.shtml

Believe it or not, these warped ideas have been floated on DU before and has gotten more than one of the perpetrators bounced. There are still those here who believe in this, but generally they are reallyquiet about it.

[Doctor_J]

9. "saddled with the burden of procreating and raising children". What a strange phrase

When I think of "saddled", I usually infer a burden placed on an unwilling subspecies. With respect to procreating, there isn't much to be done about that, at least at the current point in the evolution of our species. As for raising them, I don't see that as any more of a "saddle" than providing for a family, given the current hellish economy for workers.

[StrongBad]

10. Yeah, I think my personal anti-having kids bias shined through in that phrase.

[StrongBad]

11. I'm kicking this because I know it's a long video.

But, it's fascinating and really wish DUers would take the time to view it and discuss.

[westerebus]

12. rec