Four arguments are made that claim gender salary inequities are being resolved. What are the arguments and why are the arguments faulty in their logic?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response:
• Progress has been made in closing the gender gaps in salaries because the gap has changed from women earning 60 cents on the dollar in 1960 to earning 80 cents on the dollar in 2007. Instead of women actually earning more money it is due to salary stagnation for men. In reality, 80% of women earn less than $20,000 a year.
• The salary gap is closing because women aged 16-24 are making 93% of what their male coworkers are and women 25-34 are making 89% of what men in their age group earn. This would seem to indicate that the gap is closing however the longer women stay in the workforce the great the gap becomes. This is due to women not being promoted as readily as men and even fewer making it to the top leadership roles. In addition, our dominant cultural expectation for women to perform housekeeping duties and raise children results in less opportunity for developing abilities, experience, contacts, and reputation
• Women are earning more college degrees and as such are receiving more money in the workforce. Yet according to Census Bureau data women with a bachelor's degree resulted in women making $54,204 compared to $82,197 for men. Women with doctorates made $83,762 compared to $129,773 for men, and women with a professional degree made $100,167 compared to $166,065 for men.
• The last argument is that women actually choose to go into fields that pay less. Although women account for 59% of low-paying jobs, including 70% of minimum-wage jobs, comparing the salaries of women and men within the same profession reveals that men are paid more—even in those professions where women constitute the majority of workers.