Is This The Real Reason For The Gender Pay Gap?

I have to agree with you there Many of the better paying jobs do involve science/technology/maths(as part of business/accounting etc) which tend to be subjects guys pick.

Thats why I did a couple of science subjects and why I'm doing a BSc, starting in a months time I haven't been able to find anyone doing my uni course though, but I imagine it will be mainly guys seeing as it is a science course ...


I did chemistry at AS there were 21 of us between the 2 classes and I think it was a pretty even split between girls and boys. At A2 there were 2 boys and me ...
In my AS maths class there were 6 girls and 1 boy ! I think the other class had a lot more boys though.
Geography was mainly boys in AS maybe a 2:1 ratio. At A2 there were 4 boys and two of us girls.

Is this because they are seen as safer careers or because they involve more people skills and girls generally seem to prefer careers that involve softer skill-sets?

You do realise that most well-paid graduate schemes in fields such business, finance, accounting and management don't require specific degrees? They accept most degrees as long as you have a 2.1.

Also, I don't know about engineering, but most Science jobs are not very well paid. I have a degree in Biochemistry and most jobs I've looked at don't pay well, but I don't really care because I enjoy what I do.

I studied Physics at Cambridge and then went on to work as an Engineer, pay was fine and comparable until I decided to have babies and then everything went to the wall!!

You're ignoring that women are generally paid less than men in the same work areas. Partly because of having children, partly because of a fear they will have children and partly because bosses tend to be men and they prefer people like them when it comes to promotions.


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The economist Thomas Sowell answered this in the 70s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_sGn6PdmIo

About 2:30 in.

If childcare is the biggest hindrance to equal pay, why were some women's groups against the equal splitting of maternity/paternity pay when this bill was introduced to parliament?

There was a woman on Radio 4 a few months ago going on about the Governments support for child care is discriminatory as it only supports mothers who work and not those who choose to stay at home. You can't keep everybody happy.

Do you mean the whole vouchers for childcare scheme that they are introducing?

I was talking about when they introduced the ability for fathers to take up a lot of the maternity pay if the mother went to work. I think it was delayed until 2015 but I remember at the time a lot of women's groups were moaning about it saying that it was pressurising women to go back to work.

I don't understand their problem with this if they believe childcare is the biggest obstacle to equal pay?

It is, and if you equal women's pay to compensate for it then you're discriminating against men. I'm incredibly lucky to be going out with a very intelligent girl who wipes the floor with me not only academically, but IQ wise and common sense wise. Basically a better chance of success at work than me.

I floated the idea of me being a stay at home dad as she'll be more successful at work than me. I was told to do one. I'd be the bread winner. She understands that having kids will impact on her earning potential, but she also realises the importance of mothers being around children.

If childcare is the biggest hindrance to equal pay, why were some women's groups against the equal splitting of maternity/paternity pay when this bill was introduced to parliament?

Why do you assume every woman agrees as to what is a good idea? As a woman without children I've found I've had to reach far higher standards if achievement than male counterparts to get the same promotions due to a fear I may have children and take more time off to look after them as a result as well as demanding maternity leave of ridiculous lengths - or is the fashion because of the law take maternity leave and then tell them I'm not coming back as that gets me more money than being honest. I've also been expected to make up for women being off work for maternity leave whilst make counterparts have not - as if purely as a woman I'm responsible for maternity leave as some sort of group responsibility.

I'm not against paternity leave being increased and hopefully the culture in this country will change so men actually take it. We all hear enough moaning from divorced men when it comes to them generally not being awarded custody but we've equally all seen in the workplace that it is usually women not men who do all the emergency child care and part time working.


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