How The Myth Of The Gender Wage Gap Is Hurting Women

Listening to their speeches or interviews, you’d think that women are being specifically targeted by the evil patriarchy. You’d think we live in some sort of caste system, where women are the lowest of the low. The same “fact” is shoved down our throat over and over again: for every dollar men make, women only earn 82 cents.

According to various celebrities and political pundits, this so-called gender wage gap could only be attributed to one thing — sexism. Widespread, systemic, unjust sexism.

Of course, this isn’t true. We don’t live in an oppressive society that subconsciously believes women to be lesser than men. Leftist politicians and actors incite mainstream rage about the evils of the “patriarchy” while completely ignoring or omitting the truth. The myth of the gender wage gap is low-hanging fruit when it comes to shoving the woke ideology down women’s throats. But this made-up discrimination isn’t doing women any favors; in fact, it’s the very thing that’s holding them back from living up to their full potential. 

Men and Women Choose Different Career Paths

Yes, if you take the average of all the men’s salaries in the U.S. and compare it to all of the women’s salaries, women make 82 cents to every dollar that men make. But it’s a naive, childish response to immediately attribute this to sexism rather than exploring further into the data. Economists have disproved the gender wage gap time and time again. There are many relevant factors that contribute to the overall differences in salary. 

For example, consider the top five highest-paid college degrees. Think aerospace engineering, computer science, industrial engineering, etc. Well, four out of those five highest-paid college degrees, are dominated by young men. Now think about the five lower-paid college degrees, such as social work, counseling and psychology, religious studies, etc. Funny enough, four out of those five lowest-paid college degrees are dominated by women. Here’s some perspective: 97% of individuals with early childhood educator degrees are women. 

97% of individuals with early childhood educator degrees are women. 

Keep in mind these students are voluntarily — at their own will — choosing what to study and what to major in. Of course, men and women will generally choose different subject matters because men and women have generally different personalities, and this is a fact that was proven through extensive research and widely accepted by the entire world until only just a few years ago. 

Women Leave the Workforce to Raise Their Children

The college degrees are just the start, though. Keep in mind that many women voluntarily leave the workforce in their 30s in order to raise children and be there for their family. They go part-time or even assume a lower position in exchange for more time at home and flexibility with their schedule. Naturally, this will be reflected in the overall pay of men and women. The fact of the matter is, in most two-parent households, the man will increasingly make more money over time in the workforce while the woman assumes more responsibilities at home with the children and slowly transitions out of the workforce.

They go part-time in exchange for more time at home and flexibility with their schedule.

For some reason, this really upsets modern feminists. They find it to be an injustice that women make less money than men do. So celebs like Patricia Arquette shout about this systemic oppression from the podiums of award shows, and they promise to fight for equality, once and for all! 

The Myth of the Gender Wage Gap Hurts Women

Here’s the problem with the myth of the gender wage gap: the narrative inherently begins with the dangerous premise that salary is the primary indicator of worth and value in a woman. There’s no consideration for the many hours that women work for their families — taking care of children, cooking for the family, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, keeping a clean, healthy home for her loved ones. Why is this work any less worthy? 

We should actually be encouraging women to spend more time with their children in the younger, formative years of their life rather than pushing them to chase after some arbitrary feminist goal. Unfortunately, we now live in a society that no longer values or celebrates the nuclear family, even though study after study shows the immense importance of having two parents in the home for children’s wellbeing and success. Even more studies show that mothers who spend the first few years with their babies raise children who perform much better in life.  

The premise that salary is the primary indicator of worth and value in a woman is dangerous.

This is why the myth of the gender wage gap hurts women. It deceives women into thinking that the highest honor in life — the greatest thing you can do as a woman — is to make a high salary and outearn men. Never mind the fact that you chose your college major, and you chose to leave the workforce at 35 to raise your kids. You have metaphorical glass ceilings to breakthrough, and that’s much more important than the health of your family.

Another devastating consequence of feeding women the myth of the gender wage gap is how entitled it makes women feel. If you thought you were being cheated 18 cents out of every dollar you made, wouldn’t you be angry and demanding? This lie seeps into the very core of women and turns them into insufferable loudmouths who shriek about fake oppressions and spew hatred at men for being too masculine. It consumes their energy that could be otherwise spent volunteering, working up in their company, or finding a husband. True happiness and contentment can’t be found in a woman who is constantly looking for reasons to be angry. 

In coastal cities like New York and LA, women in their early 20s make 17% more than men their age. 

The most ironic thing about the gender wage gap nonsense is that women in their early 20s actually outearn their male counterparts. In coastal cities like New York and LA, women in their early 20s make 17% more than men their age. In other words, before women voluntarily choose to leave the workforce in their 30s, they perform better and reap more rewards than men around them do. But this fact is never shared in the gender wage gap conversation; in fact, it’s all but hidden from women because the media must keep up the narrative that women are oppressed. 

Closing Thoughts

Lying to someone over and over again will only harm them in the long run. This gender wage gap myth needs to come to an end. The more truth we speak to young women, the more likely they are to be well-equipped for the world ahead of them. People who believe they’re living in chains will never have the opportunity to do great things and achieve something special. If we really cared about the future of young women in this country, we’ll stop feeding them this myth.