Presentation Abstract
Researchers have shown consistently that women’s work is valued less than men’s. Studies
show women are surrounded by messages that reinforce this notion: they meet
with disapproval and rejection if they are seen as pushing too hard, asking for
too much, self-promoting too vigorously, being too ambitious. Indeed, restraint
in asserting one’s needs, rights, or value is, in some respects, the very
definition of proper femininity. Research shows that young women often expect
lower pay than men do, worry about aiming too high, and fret about combining
career and family. A backdrop for these expectations is the gender pay gap: a
concrete indicator of women’s and men’s relative status and the imputed value
of their work. I review data on the pay gap to illustrate its pervasiveness,
consider some of its causes, and dispute arguments that the gap can be
rationalized in terms of women’s choices. Finally, I discuss some of the
effects of the pay gap on women’s lives.
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