Do Women Really Earn Less Than Men?

Early this past spring, the White House Council on Women and Girls released a much-anticipated report called “Women in America.” One of its conclusions: women still earn on average only about 75 cents for every dollar a man earns …

Early this past spring, the White House Council on Women and Girls released a much-anticipated report called “Women in America.” One of its conclusions: women still earn on average only about 75 cents for every dollar a man earns …

The figure is based on the average earnings of full-time, year-round (FTYR) workers, usually defined as those who work 35 hours a week or more. But consider the mischief contained in that “or more.” It makes the full-time category embrace everyone from a clerk who arrives at her desk at 9 a.m. and leaves promptly at 4 p.m. to a trial lawyer who eats dinner four nights a week — and lunch on weekends — at his desk … Full-time men work more hours than full-time women do. In 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 27 percent of male full-time workers had workweeks of 41 or more hours, compared with 15 percent of female full-time workers … Since FTYR men work more than FTYR women do, it shouldn’t be surprising that the men, on average, earn more.

Full article worth reading.