Claim: Women earn less than men for doing the same work

Question

For years feminists have used "Women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns—for doing the same work" as their main argument for the gender wage gap. Which has been disproven by economists because the study only accounts for the difference between the average earnings of all men and women working full-time rather than accounting for the differences in occupations, positions, education, job tenure, or hours worked per week.

This is TRUE.

Comments

This is a very interesting claim I have been researching for a while now. I find this to be a very intriguing argument but what interests me more is how often and for how long its been used. I did some of my own research on this and what I found pretty much confirmed what you wrote above. The original claim doesnt really hold up against evidence because it doesnt account for differences. According to the Economist, "when all job differences are accounted for, the pay gap almost disappears." The graphic posted at the top of this article, which provides a lot of evidence in support of your post, finds that jobs at the same level, company and function has almost no wage gap. This to proves that this claim doesnt hold up because no one takes into account all of the necessary factors. I will link the article in which I found this evidence and information here: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2017/08/01/are-women-paid-less-than-men-for-the-same-work

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@cocopeachhh please use the "answer" button rather than the "comment" button when adding a fact-check to the platform. As for your fact-check, nice job providing a clear explanation, details with the proper attributions, and a source link. Don't forget to add a rating going forward.

Answer 1

While it is undoubtedly true that the pay gap does exist between men and women, the exact number contradicts the one stated. While women still earn less than men for doing similar work, the actual statistic is 82 cents for every dollar a man makes. This was taken from an article published by the US Government Accountability Office and their statistics were taken from the Published Census Bureau. While your initial claim has validity, it is important to keep up with current reported data rather than the hearsay of others.

Here is the link:https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106041#:~:text=Women%20earned%20an%20estimated%2082,18%20cents%20on%20the%20dollar).

Comments

I like how you clarified the actual number. I fully agree with your post. However, I am interested in your source choice . I like that you picked an independent source that is the biggest auditor of the government.  They seem to be reliable because my source backed them up too. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/01/the-enduring-grip-of-the-gender-pay-gap/#:~:text=The%20gender%20pay%20gap%20%E2%80%93%20the,every%20dollar%20earned%20by%20men.

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Seems like there could have been more to this fact check. it seems all you have done in your fact check is link to an article with a different number accounting for the wage gap. I think you could have done a bit more to explain how the goverment and separate bodies evaluate the pay gap and maybe given some more context. I also don't think its the smartest to start out your fact check with a statement of bias, i want to see your facts and evidence not a statement on what you believe to be true.

Answer 2

While the existence of a gender pay gap is still present, a new study from the Pew Research Center suggests that the gap has narrowed. Updated statistics also take age into account, with women 25-34 earning (on average) 95 cents for every dollar earned by a man of the same age range. For 16 and older, there is a 15 cent pay gap. This study also brings up the most recent gender pay gap study by the U.S. Census Bureau (women earning 82-83% of male earnings), stating "its analysis only looks at full-time workers," while this study looks at both the earnings of full and part-time workers. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/04/gender-pay-gap-in-us-has-narrowed-slightly-over-2-decades/

A second study, also from the Pew Research Center, focuses on the gender pay gap while considering parenthood and how it affects the wage disparity, stating that "mothers with children at home tend to be less engaged with the workplace, while fathers are more active." This creates a phenomenon that has been coined as the "fatherhood wage premium" which "widens the pay gap." This is because fathers are more likely to be employed, working more hours each week. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/01/the-enduring-grip-of-the-gender-pay-gap/

While it is important to understand that statistics like these change and fluctuate over time, it should still be acknowledged that there are some factors in job and life differences that may affect the gender wage gap in ways that are harder to do studies on/make statistics for.