US: gender and pay

[Eubulides <paraconsistent@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

[The report, at http://www.gao.gov is Women's Earnings: Work Patterns
Partially Explain Differences Between Men's and Women's Earnings.
GAO-04-35]


GAO Study Finds Work Patterns Don't Explain Pay Gap Between Men, Women
The Associated Press
Thursday, November 20, 2003; 2:40 PM


Women's income is lower on average than that of men in part because they
generally work less, leave the labor force for longer periods and tend to
hold jobs that pay less, a congressional study found.

But even after adjustments are made for those factors, women still earned
an average of 20.3 percent less than men in 2000, investigators said
Thursday.

The General Accounting Office conducted the earnings study for Democratic
Reps. Carolyn Maloney of New York and John Dingell of Michigan.

The 20 percent gap has been relatively unchanged in the past two decades.
The difference was 19.6 percent in 1983.

The study could not explain reasons for the earnings difference, but noted
that experts have speculated it could be due to discrimination or the
decision by some women to forgo career advancement for family-friendly
jobs that offer more flexibility and less stress.

"These decisions may have specific consequences for their career
advancement or earnings," the study said. "However, debate exists about
whether these decisions are freely made or influenced by discrimination in
society or in the workplace."

Maloney and Dingell want to create a research center at a public
university that would study potential solutions and publish information
for employers and employees.

"After accounting for so many external factors, it seems that still, at
the root of it all, men get an inherent annual bonus just for being men,"
Maloney said. "If this continues, the only guarantees in life will be
death, taxes and the glass ceiling. We can't let that happen."

Men work on average 2,147 hours per year, compared with 1,675 for women,
the study said.

Almost nine of 10 men worked full time compared with two of three women.
Men were out of the labor force an average of one week compared with three
weeks for women, the report said.

The influx of women in the labor force in recent decades has failed to
result in significant changes at the office, the study said.

"Research suggests that many work places still maintain the same policies,
practices and structures that existed when most workers were men who
worked full time, 40-hours per week," the report said. "As a result, there
may be a mismatch between the needs of workers with family
responsibilities and the structure of the workplace."

AP-ES-11-20-03 1226EST