I have a feeling there might be some disagreement about this.
So, what if the average woman in Australia earns $300 less per week than the average man.
That statistic fails to take in account the hours worked. In fact, the average Australian Joe Blow works almost twice as many hours as the average Jenny Blow, according to data HILDA, the Household Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey.
Since he’s putting in twice as many hours, I hope Joe Blow would earn far more.
In fact, the wage gap hasn’t much to do with discrimination, or conservative governments trying to keep women in their place.
Differences in the way men and women behave in the workplace largely determine how much they earn.
Women are more likely to balance income with a desire for safety, fulfilment, flexibility and proximity to home.
These lifestyle advantages lead to more people competing for jobs and thus lower pay.
Women are making choices. Yes, these choices are constrained by their family responsibilities. That’s the reason they work those shorter hours and seek the lower paid, but more flexible work closer to home.
Quote “So, the next time Anne Summers bleats about wage gaps, you’ll know she’s trying to pull the wool over your eyes. Wage gap talk is a con job.”
It’s quite a reasonable opinion piece, but US readers should be aware that it is published by a Murdoch “news” outlet.
Very interesting debate. Though I would want further unbiased data (is getting unbiased information a “pipe dream”).
Sounds about right. Most of the wage gap complaints use overall wages, but this assumes that construction jobs are the same as office jobs.
Wage gaps tend to disappear when women put in the same hours and have the same experience, training and work history as men.
I would hope so.
For instance, the average starting salary for female geologists in Australia is $60,000 compared to $52,000 for men.
Why?
The article seems to imply that men earn more than women when they work jobs that require more training and/or are more demanding, and/or require longer hours… So who cares?
If a man and a woman do the same job, with the same training, at the same hours, then they should be paid the same. The article implies that quite often, that is what is happening… So what is this about?
What isn’t addressed and must be addressed, in this country anyway, is that too many of us simply aren’t making enough in the first place, and that isn’t related to sexual politics.
Comment by OhForTheLoveOf………………..
Quote “What isn’t addressed and must be addressed, in this country anyway, is that too many of us simply aren’t making enough in the first place, and that isn’t related to sexual politics.”
Kudos on this quote!!
And I wonder Who is training/learning your kids at home.
the babysitter, the Day care, the aunt or uncle, parents??
Who do you wish to blame when something happens…
Grandpa touched me funny…
Or the kid becomes anti social, and starts shooting, and you see it on the news..
Kid has major incedent, and needs your help.
Whose fault is it…Mother or Fathers??
Its your child, and you give thiem to someone ELSE to raise.
“What isn’t addressed and must be addressed, in this country anyway, is that too many of us simply aren’t making enough in the first place, and that isn’t related to sexual politics.”
like teachers and cops? I agree, public servents are underpaid
and for the rest of us, what about overworked?
considering unemployment, though, it seems to me that if there are more people than jobs, then the ones who work, work too many hours… how about a 7 hour day? give the collective 8th hours to those looking for jobs?
“considering unemployment, though, it seems to me that if there are more people than jobs, then the ones who work, work too many hours… how about a 7 hour day? give the collective 8th hours to those looking for jobs?”
Because the cost of employing a person is more than just the salary for those hours worked. Ask the French how well their 35 hour work week helped lower their unemployment rate.
I’d also like to ask a middle manager in America how much of a boon his 55 to 60 hour work week has been to his marriage and his family life.
I’m not saying nothing… I’m just saying…
What are the values of the United States… I mean aside from our corporate profits at all costs value, what are our values?
america seems to value people who claim to value family… whether anyone values family is another story
Corporations value Family men but they value Family men who put the corporation above the family even more.
“I mean aside from our corporate profits at all costs value, what are our values?”
Well, the more money those corporations make, the more money the government can double-tax to help pay for its misguided social “safety net” **cough** incumbent re-election ploys. **cough**
#14 – Mike… Who are you trying to kid? Corporations don’t pay taxes.
14. Corporations pay income tax the first time and their shareholders pay the tax again on the dividends they receive.
Unless you want to talk about how much cheaper goods and services would be if we eliminated corporate taxes, I’m not really interested in playing the gotcha game of how they make up the loss by charging their customers more. Because that game can really go round-and-round — individuals don’t pay income taxes either, they just collect the sales tax from the service they perform for their employers. See what I mean?
oops, meant #15
16, THEN the purchaser, PAY again…
Make up the loss?
What loss?
You can talk till you are blue in face about how much cheaper goods and services would be… I doubt it… I have yet to be involved with a corporation who wouldn’t see the opportunity to make more money (and not pay employees a penny more) by increasing the cost of goods and services to fill the gap where the tax was.
I could also say goods and services would be cheaper to me if I didn’t pay any tax.
Corporations do absolutely nothing that would justify them a tax free status. And once their lawyers and accountants are through with the books, they pay a mere fraction of what they should.
And shareholders should pay taxes on income. Everyone else does. They aren’t special.
16, AND
Corps that by goods over seas at $1 and sell them in the US for $50-$100 should be shot.
But no, I digress…
WHY DOES it take 2 people just to pay for a Living.
It wasnt this way at the beginning of the 70′s…
WHAT has changed the cost of living.
Used to be, SOMEONE could stay at home for the kids. clean the home, shop for decent food and goods, pay the bills, and watch for good deals, clip coupons…and so forth to save the person Making money, MORe money. run the kids around to Social events, with enough gas for the month…