Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!mcnc!unc!fsks From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Newsgroups: net.women,net.politics,net.social Subject: Re: Discrimination against women and statistics Message-ID: <457@unc.UUCP> Date: Sun, 16-Jun-85 22:44:05 EDT Article-I.D.: unc.457 Posted: Sun Jun 16 22:44:05 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 18-Jun-85 20:52:26 EDT References: <482@ttidcc.UUCP> <8203@ucbvax.ARPA> Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill Lines: 27 Xref: watmath net.women:5910 net.politics:9455 net.social:682 Summary: In article fagin@ucbvax.UUCP (Barry Steven Fagin) writes: >From Jennifer Roback, an economist at Yale, commenting on the "59c" >button popular among feminists during the 1984 election: (This >button was intended to symbolize the fact that women make 59 cents >for every dollar that men make). > >"Actually, many of the factors that contribute to the earnings gap are the >result of personal choices made by women themselves, not decisions thrust >on them by bosses. The most important example is marriage." One other factor is that women tend to choose occupations with greater nonmonetary benefits which may compensate for the lower pay scales. That is, women more often choose occupations which center around helping other people and cooperating with them (teacher, nurse, secretary, social worker). The direct gratitude from the helpee satisfies some of the woman's social needs. Men more often find themselves in occupations which either isolate them from other people, or pits them in anxiety-provoking competition. Some of these higher paying "men's jobs" are dirty and dangerous as well. The fallacy of the equal-pay-for-equal-work idea is that it compares only the paychecks and level of skill and training required. If we do not also factor in the safety, pleasantness, and emotional effects of the job, then this plan is likely to create more unfairness than it rectifies. Frank Silbermann