The Gender Wage Gap–A Myth that (Still) Just Won’t Die

Article here. Excerpt:

'Earlier this week, the Governor of California signed a bill intended to help women. Supported by the Chamber of Commerce, the new law looks to eliminate the “gender wage gap,” or the supposed discrepancy between the pay of men and women.

The bill received immense support in both houses of the California state legislature and will “ensure that women are paid equally for work that is substantially similar to the work of their male colleagues.”

While California policymakers may be well intentioned, as an economist, this makes me want to bang my head against a wall. I’ve discussed this very issue on this blog before. But, alas, here we are again.

So, one more time, with feeling.

There is no meaningful gender wage gap. Such a gap makes zero intuitive or economic sense.'