By Bobby Darvish, Iranian-American Ex-Muslim, Former Vegan, Former Democrat, Former Socialist, Former CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Former Muslim Forum of Utah President, Christian Conservative LDS Priest
Introduction
For years, we’ve been told that women earn “77 cents for every dollar a man makes,” as if sexism is systematically robbing women of their earnings. Left-wing politicians, feminists, and media outlets push this narrative every election cycle to stir outrage and demand more government intervention. But here’s the truth: there is no gender wage gap when accounting for relevant factors. The so-called wage gap is a myth designed to divide men and women, undermine meritocracy, and expand government control over private business.
The Statistics Are Misleading
The infamous “77 cents on the dollar” claim comes from comparing the average earnings of all full-time working men and women without accounting for key factors like career choice, hours worked, experience, education, and job risk. When you control for these variables, the wage gap shrinks to almost nothing.
The U.S. Department of Labor conducted a comprehensive study and found that once relevant factors were accounted for, the wage gap virtually disappeared (1). The study stated, “The raw wage gap should not be confused with discrimination.” In other words, men and women simply make different choices when it comes to work, and those choices lead to different earnings.
Career Choices Matter
Men and women tend to choose different careers, and those careers have vastly different pay scales. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, men dominate high-paying fields like engineering, computer science, and construction, while women are more likely to enter lower-paying fields like social work, education, and psychology (2).
For example, petroleum engineers—over 85% of whom are men—earn an average of $140,000 per year, whereas elementary school teachers—mostly women—earn around $61,000 per year (3). This isn’t discrimination; this is a reflection of personal preference.
Work Hours and Job Risk
Another crucial factor is hours worked. Men work more hours on average than women. The American Time Use Survey found that full-time working men work an average of 42 hours per week, while full-time working women work about 37 hours per week (4). Over the course of a year, that adds up significantly.
Additionally, men overwhelmingly take on more dangerous jobs, which naturally pay more due to higher risk. Jobs like roofing, electrical work, law enforcement, and logging are overwhelmingly male-dominated and have some of the highest workplace fatality rates. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that men make up over 90% of workplace fatalities due to their employment in hazardous jobs (5).
If feminists truly wanted equal pay, they would be demanding equal participation in high-risk, high-demand industries. Instead, they ignore these realities and push a false narrative of discrimination.
Motherhood and Career Interruptions
One of the biggest reasons for earnings differences is motherhood. Many women choose to take time off to raise children, and that impacts their earnings. According to research from Harvard University, after childbirth, women’s earnings drop significantly, while men’s earnings remain relatively stable (6). This isn’t oppression—it’s a personal choice.
A 2018 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that after controlling for childbirth and time spent away from the workforce, the wage gap nearly disappears (7). Women who remain in the workforce continuously, work similar hours, and choose similar careers as men earn nearly identical pay.
Government Manipulation and the Real Agenda
If the gender wage gap were real, why would companies ever hire men? If businesses could get away with paying women less for the same work, wouldn’t they just hire women and save 23% on labor costs? The fact that this doesn’t happen proves that the wage gap is a political tool, not an economic reality.
The feminist movement and left-wing politicians use the wage gap myth to demand more government regulations, forced hiring quotas, and unnecessary lawsuits against businesses. They seek to control private industry, disrupt free-market competition, and spread resentment between men and women.
Conclusion
The gender wage gap is a lie. It’s not caused by sexism—it’s caused by personal choices, different career paths, and work-life balance decisions. Feminists and leftist politicians use this myth to sow division, push socialist policies, and attack meritocracy.
Rather than demanding “equal outcomes,” we should be celebrating equal opportunities and respecting the freedom of individuals to make their own career decisions. In America, you earn what you work for—regardless of gender.
Citations
U.S. Department of Labor. "An Analysis of the Gender Wage Gap." (2009). https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/reports/gender-wage-gap
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Women in the Labor Force: A Databook." (2021). https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-databook/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021." https://www.bls.gov/oes/
American Time Use Survey. "Work and Leisure in the United States." (2020). https://www.bls.gov/tus/
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). "Workplace Fatalities by Gender." (2021). https://www.osha.gov/workplace-fatalities
Harvard Kennedy School. "Motherhood and the Gender Pay Gap." (2019). https://www.hks.harvard.edu/research/motherhood-gender-pay-gap
Blau, F. & Kahn, L. "The Gender Pay Gap: Have Women Gone as Far as They Can?" Quarterly Journal of Economics. (2018). https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/133/3/1231/5051808
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