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The study referenced in this article hypothesizes gender pay gap exists because companies are willing to pay more to people who are willing to spend more hours

The study referenced in this article hypothesizes gender pay gap exists because companies are willing to pay more to people who are willing to spend more hours at the office. (They looked at more careers than programming.) https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/upshot/the-pay-gap-is-because-of-gender-not-jobs.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/upshot/the-pay-gap-is-bec... On the one hand this seems fair, on the other hand, the escalating arms race to spend all your time at the office doesn't seem like a great way to live for the ordinary employee without some ownership stake. The careers with the most gender parity were the ones without excessive time in the office associated with success. If the time spent in office theory is true, it also makes that theory about gathering all the employees of a certain class to start a company not relevant.

greenyoda 10y ago
Well, I've seen lots of studies over the years that claim that extra time spent in the office (beyond 40 hours per week) doesn't translate into extra productivity. Some reasons mentioned include: - Tired employees make more errors, which then take time to fix. And if you've been working for 12 hours, you'll be mentally tired even if you're not physically tired. - If you spend 12 hours a day at the office, lots of things you need to do in your life (e.g., arranging your social life, running errands, going to the gym, eating meals) will get done while you're at the office. - A lot of programmers (myself included) get their best thinking done when they're relaxing away from the office.
- Asooka 10y ago
  Maybe not extra actual productivity, but extra imagined productivity and when it comes time to raises, it's not reality, or what could have been, but your boss's imagination that counts.
  - crdoconnor 10y ago
    I don't think bosses who want long hours are all that interested in actual productivity (which, especially with software, they don't seem all that capable of measuring anyway). I think they simply see it as a signal of loyalty.
eveningcoffee 10y ago
I think you (and I have noticed it elsewhere here) have nailed the main cause for the discrimination based on gender (and probably also age) that is really counter productive for the society as a whole.

greenyoda 10y ago

Well, I've seen lots of studies over the years that claim that extra time spent in the office (beyond 40 hours per week) doesn't translate into extra productivity. Some reasons mentioned include: - Tired employees make more errors, which then take time to fix. And if you've been working for 12 hours, you'll be mentally tired even if you're not physically tired. - If you spend 12 hours a day at the office, lots of things you need to do in your life (e.g., arranging your social life, running errands, going to the gym, eating meals) will get done while you're at the office. - A lot of programmers (myself included) get their best thinking done when they're relaxing away from the office.

Asooka 10y ago
Maybe not extra actual productivity, but extra imagined productivity and when it comes time to raises, it's not reality, or what could have been, but your boss's imagination that counts.
- crdoconnor 10y ago
  I don't think bosses who want long hours are all that interested in actual productivity (which, especially with software, they don't seem all that capable of measuring anyway). I think they simply see it as a signal of loyalty.

eveningcoffee 10y ago

I think you (and I have noticed it elsewhere here) have nailed the main cause for the discrimination based on gender (and probably also age) that is really counter productive for the society as a whole.