Blogs May 5, 2014 at 6:00 am

What the Seattle Times Gets Wrong About Seattle's Gender Pay Gap

Patricia Hayden & Marilyn P. Watkins
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Comments

1
Why would/should women still be earning less than men? (Not trying to troll. I didn't see where maintaining a gap would be desirable or acceptable.)
xizar on May 5, 2014 at 6:54 AM Report this
2
With arms like that why is she having such a hard time with that bag? Also, she has gold pieces, which everyone knows are worth 10 silver pieces.

So. Stock photos = more clicks, but also more silly.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn on May 5, 2014 at 8:02 AM Report this
3
Men are far more likely to choose careers that are more dangerous.
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.
Even within the same career category, men are more likely to pursue high-stress and higher-paid areas of specialization.
Unmarried women who've never had a child actually earn more than unmarried men.
A lot more women work part-time, take time off to shit out kids, etc. than men.

But, of course, everyone who's not a white, heterosexual male is a victim at the Stranger.
on May 5, 2014 at 8:28 AM Report this
4
A Stanford study concluded that up to 40% of the wage gap nationally cannot be explained by differences in jobs, qualifications, or hours worked.

In other words, 60% of the pay gap can be explained by differences in jobs, qualifications, and hours worked. Good to know.
seandr on May 5, 2014 at 8:41 AM Report this
5
The Seattle Times is parroting a right wing talking point about non-progressive government. In their world the USDA would only inspect government produced beef. The FDA would only supervise government produced drugs. The EPA would only enforce standards on government owned facilities. Etc.

Except the military which gets a pass on everything.
fletc3her on May 5, 2014 at 8:42 AM Report this
6
Especially in cities like Seattle or San Francisco, there is no way there will be wage equality unless the participation of women in STEM jobs becomes higher.

Women’s representation in STEM occupations has increased since the 1970s, but they remain significantly underrepresented in engineering and computer occupations, occupations that make up more than 80 percent of all STEM employment. Women’s representation in computer occupations has declined since the 1990s.


http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-…

Supreme Ruler Of The Universe on May 5, 2014 at 9:12 AM Report this
7
our first recommendation as a task force is that the City conduct an analysis that scores jobs on their skill, effort, and responsibility

Your first recommendation should be to score jobs based on the demand for the particular skill they require compared to the supply of such skills in the labor the market. That's what drives pay, once discrimination and other inefficiencies are removed from the market.

And sorry, but pay is certainly not a function of effort, nor should it be. It may take a lot of effort to get a Ph.D. in, say, Ancient Greek poetry or Gender Studies, but that doesn't mean people are going to pay you as much as they would a plumber.
seandr on May 5, 2014 at 9:12 AM Report this
8
@4: Good catch. If difference is 27%, 60% of that is 16. 73+16=89. So the whole point of this press release disguised as an article if that Seattle Times is exaggerating by 1%.

Math is so hard.
Billy Chav on May 5, 2014 at 10:58 AM Report this
9
@8 statistics ARE hard, which is why you fail.
JonnoN on May 5, 2014 at 11:33 AM Report this
10
We want to know why employers are not slashing payroll costs by hiring only women?
Thom and Bri Bri on May 5, 2014 at 11:49 AM Report this
11
as someone who is working in the tech field @6 has it spot on. Pay is good here and it is probably 90% male. I am a hiring manager and I have only seen one female apply for my open position and probably 50 males. Sadly she didn't have the basic qualifications to even bring in for an interview.

Getting women into the tech field is the way to equalize salaries.
garumph on May 5, 2014 at 12:26 PM Report this
12
@9 Hey, I showed my work chief, just like in Common Core. Where's yours?
Billy Chav on May 5, 2014 at 1:27 PM Report this

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