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In reply to the discussion: A Woman’s Lifetime Earnings Lost To Pay Gap Could Feed A Family Of Four For 37 Years [View all]lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)It may be true, strictly speaking, but it's a statistic which is both completely misleading and inherently impossible to mitigate.
Women make less because they choose jobs for different reasons than men choose jobs. Women ALWAYS put a higher premium on nonmonetary reward, and go to college to get these jobs. Men on the other hand put a higher premium on money, and are more likely to choose jobs which are more dangerous, difficult and are less rewarding in exchange for that higher pay.
I have a friend who is a drives a septic tank truck. I have never seen a woman do this job, even though the pay is pretty good. He only has to get in the septic tank for repairs occasionally, and the tank is mostly pumped out (usually no more than knee-deep), and the homeowner usually doesn't flush the toilet while he's in there.
He earns every penny of whatever pay gap exists.