۩ஜ~▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬~ஜ۩۞
۩ஜ~The Wage Gap Argument~ஜ۩۞
~ஜ۩۞ ۩ஜ~
۩ஜ~▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬~ஜ۩۞

By Jonathan Watkins, With Special Thanks to Karin Agness Lips.

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 For quite a long time, the feminist ideology has been pushing the idea of a wage gap.
This wage gap is easily disproved with the correct analysis of both the data provided by those
who support the wage gap, and data conveniently left out of many of the arguments on the topic.
To begin my entry into this subject, we will be using an article that seems to sum up the modern
argument quite well. This is the article by Maggie Koerth-Baker for the site known as
“FiveThirtyEight.” I will begin by first dissecting the arguments put forth in Maggie’s article,
paragraph by paragraph. During the process of this article analysis, I will add some hyperlink
research to support each claim. The point of this moving forward, will be to give the required
research needed to show that:

The Gender Wage Gap is a Non-Issue

Over many years, I have had the wonderful ability to learn this topic with/from Karin
Agness Lips, the Founder and President of the Network of enlightened Women, known as NeW.
She is also a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics and a Senior Fellow with the
Independent Women's Forum. Even, on some occasions, being able to talk about some debunked
feminist myths- As we share the belief that the ideology of feminism is hurtful in much of its
rhetoric towards women (Though in varying degrees, and with much to be said about different
processes of fixing the issue).

Mentioned in her Biography: “Too often women only hear one side of the issues. I
regularly speak and debate at colleges, law schools, and other forums to make the case for
conservative policy solutions for women. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S.
News and World Report, Time Ideas, Politico, The Washington Examiner, Politico, National
Review Online, Fox News, The Atlantic, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, and The Boston
Herald. I’ve appeared on Fox and Friends, Hannity, New Day, The Kelly File, On the Record
with Greta Van Susteren, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Cavuto, and The Laura
Ingraham Radio Show. Upon graduation from the University of Virginia and University of
Virginia School of Law, I practiced law at Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, DC. In 2012, I was
honored to be named to the Forbes 30 under 30 List for Law & Policy.” We see that she is an
highly skilled economist and statistician, as well as on many occasions worked with woman for
the betterment of society.

(For those of you interested in her work and organization:

https://enlightenedwomen.org/about/karin-agness/​ )

When it comes to the article in question, it can be found ​Here​.

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 In this article, we have the pleasure of looking at research presented by Maggie
Koerth-Baker, Whos biography ends at “Maggie Koerth-Baker is a senior science writer for
FiveThirtyEight.” However, it is also known that in her past she was a science editor at Boing
Boing and a monthly columnist for The New York Times Magazine. Koerth-Baker is also the
author of the 2012 book Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before It
Conquers Us. Despite FiveThirtyEight holding itself as “​Website that focuses on opinion poll
analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging.” It has denounced on many occasions it’s
public opinion poll on the website labelling it “Leftist Biased” and continues to label itself as
“Unbiased Data Analysis”. We can also point out that while this article was written by a
bonafide scientist, her field of study is environmental, and not ideological nor economic.

In comparing our two authors- the divide in credentials is apparent, however we must
then look to the contents of their points. This will be done by breaking it down into several
pieces, and addressing each important claim on it’s own. Some of the rebuttal articles coming
from the aforementioned Karin Agniss Lips, in the capacity of a Forbes Economist, can be found
Here​ and ​Here​.

Forbes is well known among the internet and business world as a non-biased website for
the reporting of economic and business factoids. It is not politically driven, and only weighs in
on politics when they affect the economy and business. Even their opinion columns have many
viable sources and research integrated into them. This website, despite FiveThirtyEight’s
unrelated mission goal, is directly correlated with the subject at hand. Business and Economy
statistics.

We will begin by deconstructing the arguments made by Maggie, and referring to the
article by Karin when appropriate

The first paragraph (Happy ​Equal Pay Day​!) Refers to the “Equal Pay Day” Otherwise
known as “The day where women achieve the same earnings as men a year prior”. This means
that the “Wage Gap” we are discussing is the 77 cents to a dollar ratio put forth by the study that
originated the gender pay gap discussion. They end this paragraph with a quip of being unable to
plan a celebration, as they were too busy working! Noble- however, this will factor into the
downfall of the Wage Gap Argument, as the question is: In what fields were they working?

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 This argument came together by using data sets collected of the earnings of Men and
Women working full time. The 77-cents-on-the-dollar statistic is calculated by dividing the
median earnings of all women working full-time by the median earnings of all men working
full-time. In other words, if the average income of all men is, say, 40,000 dollars a year, and the
average annual income of all women is, say, 30,800 dollars, that would mean that women earn
77 cents for every dollar a man earns. 30,800 divided by 40,000 equals .77. (​Citation​ For
Paragraph)

But these calculations don’t reveal a gender wage injustice because it doesn’t take into
account occupation, position, education or hours worked per week. When these factors come into
the argument, we begin to see a drastic change in the data. These variables not being accounted
for prove to have been major factors in the data, and the skew becomes undeniable.

In the next paragraph, Maggie admits that the wage gap has gone down however. She
writes: “This pay gap has been shrinking for more than three decades, but as of 2017, women
still earn just 82 percent of what their male counterparts take home, according to calculations by
the Pew Research Center.”. Sadly, Maggie did not provide a citation for this, so I was forced to
do so myself, here:

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/09/gender-pay-gap-facts/

Within the first paragraph, this data uses the same statistical fallacy as all previous
recordings. “In 2017, women earned 82% of what men earned, according to a Pew Research
Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers in the United
States.” While the data has been expanded since the 1980’s 77 cents argument to include
part-time workers, it still does not include any skewing variables.

With the next few sentences, we begin to see some self awareness in the article to the
kinds of arguments it will be bombarded with- as all pay gap articles have been since they began
in 1980. “Since 1980, women have dramatically reshaped the workforce by earning college
degrees and taking on paid labor at higher rates, but the pay gap persists despite these changes in
part because women and men are still frequently split up into different types of jobs and
industries. And jobs that are frequently done by women consistently pay less.” This is an
argument made from a rather new school of thinking- Neo-Marxist Intersectionality. And we will
see more of this ideological swing as we move towards arguments about race in Maggies article.
(​This article​ about the subject is not substantiated, rather it is an introduction into the ideas and
it’s rebuttals. Another liberal-Bias article can be found ​Here​)

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 However, we must begin to break this down. Maggie implies a dramatic shift in the
workforce, and claims that shift to be majority Woman Driven- However, that claim is
unsubstantiated further, so we will calmly move past it. While Maggie is correct with her words
further through the paragraph, she fails to mention what types of degrees women are earning
more on average, compared to men’s average paths of degree. She begins to become aware when
she says “Jobs that are frequently done by women consistently pay less” but even then, phrases
that in a very misleading way. This implies that they should pay more- and also debunks any
mentioned phrases of “For the same work” in the data-sets. This means the claim made now
pertains not to the same work, but for different work.

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor released a paper that examined more than 50
peer-reviewed studies and concluded that the oft-cited 23 percent wage gap “may be almost
entirely the result of individual choices being made by both male and female workers.” Well,
let’s look at some of those choices.

Georgetown University compiled a list of the five best-paying college majors​, and the
percentage of men or women majoring in those fields:

• ​Petroleum Engineering: 87% male

• ​Pharmaceutical Sciences: 48% male
• ​Mathematics and Computer Science: 67% male
• ​Aerospace Engineering: 88% male
• ​Chemical Engineering: 72% male

Notice that women out-represent men in only one of the five top-paying majors – by only
a few percentage points. Now consider the same study’s list of the five worst paying college
majors:

Counseling and Psychology: 74% female

Early Childhood Education: 97% female
Theology and Religious Vocations: 44% female
Human Services and Community Organization: 81% female
Social Work: 88% female

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 Looking at this data, it is clear to see what that work Maggie leaves out of her article
actually is, and the obvious discrepancy pointing us in the face- The work that women are getting
degrees for on average are low paid jobs, and they are low paid not due to bias- but due to
workload. A ​Petroleum Engineer​ is going to have much more work on their hands, not to
mention work that could mean life or death for themselves, or many around the world than a
woman who works in ​Early Childhood Education​, with summers and weekends off as a
guarantee. Not to mention the amount you must pay into each degree varies, as many of the
male-heavy degrees require further schooling than undergrad.

We continue on to the third paragraph: “Research conducted by Francine Blau, a

professor of economics at Cornell, suggests that this division between which jobs and industries
men and women tend to work in — called sex segregation — is now the single biggest factor
explaining the pay gap between men and women.” And he would be right. I’m sure that sounds
scary, so let me reword that for you. “The right for men and women to make decisions, and the
liberties we have as people to decide what we want to major in, is the largest factor in how much
money we make later on in life.” A lot less scary, no? This thinking derives from the
aforementioned “Neo-Marxist Intersectionality” ideological shift that many modern-day
fourth-wave feminists hold- And that school of thought pertains to the idea of ​“Equality of
Outcome” versus “Equality of Opportunity”​.

When it comes to Equality of Outcome, there is a simpler term for it. And that is known
as “Equity”, instead of equality because it’s just that. Not equality. And can explain how those
who use this school of thought fall so far outside of the calculation range for the Wage Gap-
They do not take variables into account. Variables such as personal choice, or obstacles. This
school of thought simply operates on no matter what factors go in- all come out the same. This
substantiates the thought process that despite the job being undertaken, the payment medians
should come out to be the same- but that is just not how a world of free workers operates.

When it comes to our nation, we operate on the ideals of ​Martin Luther King​- embracing
Equality of Opportunity. In the system of Equality of Opportunity, all variables will be taken into
account, the choices and decisions of those who make them, and the obstacles they overcome.
All these factor into the outcome. And since men and woman, on average, tend to make different
choices (As shown by the degrees above) We would be unable to make the outcome equal
without first, removing our ability to make choices that benefit ourselves, and our families. This
is the Neo-Marxist dream- To see all, no matter their differences, “Succeed”. But when you take
away differences, you take away choices, free thought, and liberty.

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 As we continue with the article, after bypassing more about the differences in occupation,
we eventually come to some graphs. The first one states that it’s data was received by the
Department of Labor, And Pew University. However, the data shown is said to “Account for
nearly the entirety” of the wage gap. The actual original data can be found ​Here​. And though
education is said to narrow the divide in the graph by 6%, it is shown that it is actually
substantially higher.

When we narrow down the wage gap for all of it’s factors, we eventually widdle it down
to a nearly non-existent number. Some diverse sources claim it is around 1-3 cents, Even a study
by the ​American Association of University Women​, a feminist organization, shows that the
actual wage gap shrinks to only 6.6 cents when you factor in different choices men and women
make. The small wage gap that does exist has nothing to do with paying women less, let alone
with sexism; it has to do with differences in individual career choices that men and women
make, and many of the other factors such as hours worked, and overtime accepted.

Past this, we are greeted with more factoids that uphold the idea that woman do, indeed,
choose lower paying work than men on average. Such as this chart:

As we reach an end to the specific set of charts and topics, we see only more face-value
data points that, when looked deeper into, debunk the very claim they were put their to support.
The even add the idea that the differences in male and female choices has been declining- and
this can be a result of many factors, from many affirmative action plans becoming more and
more strict, to other legislation in recent years supporting the fallacious equity and neo-marxist
equality of outcome that many have begun to revere.

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 We then begin to enter the Intersectionality portion of this article- Race as it relates to
sex. As the same data i’ve mentioned above debunking the rest of the gap still pertains to people
of color, we have completely narrowed out the sexism aspect of these charts, to be able to see a
racial issue in america. America has always had a racial issue, both in equality of payment for
the same work, and in treatment and education abilities. See the graph below:

However, we can still rule out the sexist aspect. While the graph provided shows the
divide among groups of women compared to men, we still are unable to see the percentages of
men of different ethnicities differ from each other. When you take this into account using the
original data for the chart (​Found Here​)- you will see that the gaps between men and their
ethnicity groups are about the same as woman, and their ethnicity groups, and the charts
correlate completely when the sexism aspect is factored out, as done in the rest of this argument.

They then begin to use a ​study done in Minnesota​ to discuss quantifying the hard work of
a job, and is used to try and grab at the idea that the jobs women are doing on average are just as
work-heavy as the jobs men are doing on average- However they fail to take into account many
factors. Other than the fact that the study begins with its implicit bias, it also refers to other
studies made on false pretenses, such as the original wage gap median study. The study is
divided up into different scoring sectors. Those sectors are: skill levels, problem-solving
abilities, accountability and pleasant working conditions. They then use an example of what was
deemed unacceptable by those four categories, with the notion “ ‘You had librarians being paid
less than the guy shoveling streets in the winter,’ said Aviva Breen, who was the director for the
state’s task force on women’s economic issues during that time.”

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 This shows some major issues. The quantification of workplace injury, fatigue, and
exertion of effort are quantified within this study by opinion, and have labelled the work of a
librarian​, whos hours are set, and has little risk of injury as a job worthy of the pay of a ​labor
worker​ whos hours depend on the weather, and create permanent ware and tare on the body.
Despite having no un-disproven sexism factors put forth previous to this, all factors in this field
make any conclusion anecdotal and subjective. However, we don’t have to worry about this
skewing anything further, as after this study is mentioned, it is linked to all woman across
america in the next paragraph without any fact-supported transition. Completely shoe-horned in,
despite it’s very specific nature. Maggie states the study, and then goes “So that completely
disregards work-requirement in my, very different, argument too” without any support to that
assumption.

We are then hit with this quote: “There’s no social reason why we’d pay more for our
cars than our children, but men are doing one job and women are doing the other.” And I would
like to remind you that we have established- it is by choice. Not to mention, this takes daily costs
of both tasks and pleasantly ignores them for the sake of magies argument.We are then presented
with a slew of generalizations, and assumptions, that I will now debase completely, and quite
easily considering they are completely unsubstantiated. “​Not only are women less likely to get
jobs in higher-paying fields as a result of factors like the pressure of societal expectations and
employers’ conscious and unconscious discrimination against women” This could be true- But
we would never know it. Considering if you look at the application rates of jobs used in this
argument, you will see that men and women apply for jobs at the same rate as they are hired in
most jobs, and with affirmative action plans, women are being highered far higher than their
opportunistic ratio provides. The only thing holding woman back in this category, would be the
ever-so-scary “Societal Norms”. Something that can only be changed by society, slowly over
time. And as we can see- is, due to increasing numbers of statistics ​supporting this​. This is
something overcome by choice, as Societal Norms are entirely metaphysical constructions. This
is a shift for woman to make for themselves individually.

Maggie then goes on to say “Any efforts to reduce the pay gap further are going to have
to grapple with this dynamic — either by trying to change it or by trying to work around it.” in
reference to woman’s work being- on the whole- valued less... and without a smidge of
supporting evidence, except for the shoe-horned Minnesota data values that pertain to all workers
from a single state, with flawed, subjective value sets. But if you want to make an argument like
this- Then let’s take a look at this statistic: ​92% of all workplace deaths​ occur to Men. This far
less subjective statistic might begin to explain a large portion of the- 6 cent- pay gap- Men are
working jobs with a fatality risk far higher than that of women. Instead of asking if womans
work may be valued less- as it clearly isn’t, Perhaps we could be looking into if Men’s Lives at
work are Valued Period. -But that’s a completely different discussion.

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins

 After this, we are left with a few different remarks and disagreements of where the fault
and blame lay, and how to fix this non-issue for the perfect equity utopia. Most of these solutions
are debunked by my previous installments, however we then get to see Maggie's opinion on how
to end this. Maggies says: “What connects these disparate solutions for the remaining pay gap is
that they all require private companies to change their cultures and management systems, either
voluntarily or through legislation. That shifts the emphasis and responsibility for fixing the pay
gap, Burk said, from individual women to their employers” The notion all who believe in the
power of equity hold deep to their heart- the loss of the factor of responsibility and accountability
when it comes to the outcome. Responsibility, to the cultures of our species, and to the
ideological shifts we find ourselves taking, will always belong in the hands of the individuals,
and groups. Society changes Society, and only Women will change Women.

In Conclusion

When it comes to Sexism against women, women still have many challenges to
overcome. Challenges to their own responsibility, to their own free thought, and their own
wellbeing. These challenges must be overcome to progress society, and we are far from the
conclusion of sexism in culture, and system. But to reach that goal, activists in this sector need to
denounce statistically fallacious notions such as the Wage Gap, and begin work on roads of
opportunity for the gender. With more validity in mathematics, they will find it easier to pinpoint
real, hard hitting problems as to bring sexism to it’s knees once and for all. But in conclusion-
The Gender Wage Gap, even if it exists, is the result of a human’s right to choose for oneself,
something we all value.

~Making the Gender Wage Gap- A Non-Issue.~

The Wage Gap Argument Jonathan R Watkins