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The 77 cents on the dollar has become a What You Can't Say (http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html) fact that will get you in tro

The 77 cents on the dollar has become a What You Can't Say (http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html) fact that will get you in trouble if questioned in polite left-leaning company. Another one of those factional shibboleths that reveals whether you've accepted the shared set of beliefs.

godelski 4y ago
There are 2 different wage gaps that people that don't learn about get confused about. It is important to note that they answer two different questions. The first is the 80 cents one which is an aggregated measurement and better informs us about the monetary medians for career differences in men and women. But people often think this is when holding everything equal. When variables are held equal the aggregated result shrinks a lot and comes to roughly 96 cents on the dollar. But this does not account for issues like a glass ceiling or other things which are quite difficult to accurately measure. It is also important to note that while women on average make less (holding factors equivalent) that there are sectors where women make more (e.g. professorships). A great example of this is the Uber paper and has been extensively discussed on popular podcasts like Freakanomics and The Pay Gap (which goes into a lot of the nuances I'm not mentioning).
- anthony_d 4y ago
  I’d be surprised if many people mention a wage gap without knowing the different measurements. Like most things it’s the underlying assumptions combined with the view on ethics that people tend to disagree on. For example, your assertion that the 80% gap “better informs” makes no sense without some context you didn’t share. As a random fact it’s no better or worse than any other, but it doesn’t explain anything. The 96% points to what likely represents a real (but small) ethical issue that needs corrected, it’s also a more precise and accurate statement that I’d say better informs. Neither number says anything about a glass ceiling, and using them to argue about a glass ceiling just undermines credibility.

godelski 4y ago

There are 2 different wage gaps that people that don't learn about get confused about. It is important to note that they answer two different questions. The first is the 80 cents one which is an aggregated measurement and better informs us about the monetary medians for career differences in men and women. But people often think this is when holding everything equal. When variables are held equal the aggregated result shrinks a lot and comes to roughly 96 cents on the dollar. But this does not account for issues like a glass ceiling or other things which are quite difficult to accurately measure. It is also important to note that while women on average make less (holding factors equivalent) that there are sectors where women make more (e.g. professorships). A great example of this is the Uber paper and has been extensively discussed on popular podcasts like Freakanomics and The Pay Gap (which goes into a lot of the nuances I'm not mentioning).

anthony_d 4y ago
I’d be surprised if many people mention a wage gap without knowing the different measurements. Like most things it’s the underlying assumptions combined with the view on ethics that people tend to disagree on. For example, your assertion that the 80% gap “better informs” makes no sense without some context you didn’t share. As a random fact it’s no better or worse than any other, but it doesn’t explain anything. The 96% points to what likely represents a real (but small) ethical issue that needs corrected, it’s also a more precise and accurate statement that I’d say better informs. Neither number says anything about a glass ceiling, and using them to argue about a glass ceiling just undermines credibility.