Busting Myths About Women in the Workplace

Article here. Excerpt:

'In her book Women’s Figures: An Illustrated Guide to the Economic Progress of Women, Furchtgott-Roth exposes these falsehoods and loose statements, asserting that women don’t need special treatment to be equally competitive in the American workforce. The myth that a woman makes 78 cents on a man’s dollar is a typical refrain used in mass media and a basis for affirmative action for women. Furchtgott-Roth explains, however, why this refrain as well as the “wage gap” and “glass ceiling” are in fact myths.

The statement that women get less pay for equal work is a false assertion that comes from comparing the earnings of men and women. First, Furchtgott-Roth says, the comparison lumps together men and women who work different numbers of hours. Often, a woman may choose to work fewer hours than a full-time man because she prefers a flexible schedule. Second, the gap claim puts each gender’s earnings from varied vocations on the same level. Men often choose more dangerous and physically demanding lines of work, which can affect pay scales, yet the gap claim averages types of professions together.

The discriminatory “glass ceiling” claim persists, indicating that women are restricted to lower-paying jobs and careers and kept out of senior management positions. Yet many women, even those with stellar academic records, actually prefer to work part-time to combine their work life with family life, Furchtgott-Roth says. If a woman wants to put in the hours to be in senior management, she will. But she often chooses not to, because that means missed dance recitals, hockey games, and birthday parties.'