Not the Gender Pay Gap Lie Again

I see the "Women earn 17% less than men for the exact same work" lie is being trotted out on it's bi-monthly outing.

But this time it is with an added twist! 

Apparently it is because women are not as good as negotiating as men!

Yes, really.

This lie has been doing the rounds since at least the 80's, and quite possibly the '70s.

It is based on a flawed U.S. study that I cannot find a reference to right now. This study essentially added up the total number of dollars earned by men and the total number of dollars earned by women.

Divide each by the number of participants, compare the numbers and voila! Women earn 17% less than men.

Can you see the flaw in that methodology at all?

The truth is that work choices made by men vs women lead to a number of "inequalities".

For example, during economic hard times, men tend to lose their jobs at a rate 8% more than the ladies do.

Excellent article on the subject here.

Even if you don't believe me, answer me this.

Labour costs are one of the highest burdens on the majority of businesses.

If it truly were that easy for businesses to employ women for 17% less to do "the exact same job" then how on earth do men ever get hired?