Women’s Salaries Versus Men’s, Who Will Effect Change?

2008-03-22 07:08:03 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Business)

(WiredPRNews.com) — March 21, 2008 - Among the many topics of discussion from the front-runners in the Presidential Election, no one has yet to mention the continuing disparity between the salaries of men and women and how they will change that. With a woman in the race, shouldn’t that be a topic for us to bring up?

The number of working women is projected to reach nearly 76 million by 2014, or 46.8% of the workforce, with a high percentage, nearly 72% in white collar occupations. (U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics, May of 05.)

The number of women in the labor force is expected to increase by almost 10.9% between 2004 and 2014, while a smaller 9.1% increase is projected for men. This means men’s share of the labor force will decrease, from 53.6% to 53.2% between 2004 and 2014.

As reported by money.cnn.com, Warren Farrell, author of Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap - and What Women Can Do About It, believes this is a case of comparable pay vs. equal pay, or apples and oranges. He says men are more likely to make life-decisions that will lead to a higher annual salary. He says males are more apt (than women) to relocate or travel for work, take on more dangerous jobs,(over 90 percent of workplace deaths are reportedly men), work in the difficult (read boring) sciences, seek jobs that require financial risk and work jobs in unpleasant environments.
In contrast, he says, “women commonly prefer jobs with shorter and more flexible hours to accommodate the demands of family. Compared to men, [the majority of] women generally favor jobs that involve little danger, no travel and good social skills. Such jobs generally pay less.”
For women who earn over $100,000 per year, Farrell says they are more likely [than men at the same pay] to give up a portion of pay to spend more time with their families.