Harvard economist says closing the US gender wage gap isn't as simple as 'equal pay for equal work'

Article here. Excerpt:

'"What economists do is they use data to figure out whether the individuals are the same; they try to make them comparable as possible; they squeeze out these differences and productive attributes; they look for individuals who have the same education, the same labor-force participation rates over their life cycle, etc.," Goldin explains to Freakonomics Radio host Stephen J. Dubner.

When doing this, we still see a gender wage gap. But as Goldin ponders, "does that mean that women are receiving lower pay for equal work? That is possibly the case in certain places, but by and large, it's not that. It's something else."

When looking at gender earnings gaps by occupation, Goldin found something that might surprise people.

By comparing the 469 occupations in the US Census, she found that women disproportionately holding certain jobs only accounted for about 25% of the difference in earnings between men and women. Factors within each occupation overwhelmingly accounted for differences in pay.'