I had to do a double shot to make sure that this headline really came from CBS News:
Not a half-truth, a semi-myth, a sort of small lie. A “complete myth.” Just take in the lede:
According to all the media headlines about a new White House report, there’s still a big pay gap between men and women in America. The report found thatwomen earn 75 cents for every dollar men make. Sounds pretty conclusive, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. It’s misleading.According to highly acclaimed career expert and best-selling author, Marty Nemko, “The data is clear that for the same work men and women are paid roughly the same. The media need to look beyond the claims of feminist organizations.”
The story goes on to list the reasons why the pay gap talking point is wrong. Among them:
• Men are far more likely to choose careers that are more dangerous, so they naturally pay more.• Men are far more likely to work in higher-paying fields and occupations (by choice).• Men are far more likely to take work in uncomfortable, isolated, and undesirable locations that pay more.• Men work longer hours than women do.• Men are more likely to take jobs that require work on weekends and evenings and therefore pay more.• Even within the same career category, men are more likely to pursue high-stress and higher-paid areas of specialization.• Despite all of the above, unmarried women who’ve never had a child actually earn more than unmarried men, according to Nemko and data compiled from the Census Bureau.• Women business owners make less than half of what male business owners make, which, since they have no boss, means it’s independent of discrimination.
More details at the link to the complete story. The story also has the bad taste to quote from the Obama Labor Department’s report on the gender pay gap myth from five years ago:
“An Analysis of Reasons for the Disparity in Wages Between Men and Women” prepared, under contract, for the U.S. Department of Labor in 1/09 finds:“This study leads to the unambiguous conclusion that the differences in the compensation of men and women are the result of a multitude of factors and that the raw wage gap should not be used as the basis to justify corrective action. Indeed, there may be nothing to correct. The differences in raw wages may be almost entirely the result of the individual choices being made by both male and female workers.”
Coming soon: Dan Rather admits he’s a leftist toady? Maybe on April Fools’ Day. More likely someone at CBS News is going to hear about letting this story slip through.
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