Letters to the Editor
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No Smoking Gun
I have never seen any instance in the working world where a woman was paid less than a man for the same work, the same job title, the same qualifications and in the same point in time. That statement covers over 30 years in several important industries. That also includes even more senior level positions. This is consistent with what others have said in that there is no overt disrimination. Sophisticated companies will not knowingly underpay a female worker for the same "unit of work" and the same skill set.
However, what I have seen repeatedly is that over the long-run, fewer women than men achieve senior level positions in companies because they "pull-back" in their early to mid-30's and refuse to assume additional responsibilities. This effectively limits their careers somewhere in the middle of the corporate ladder. Men, by default, continue on and assume those higher level positions. Does this reflect gender bias, or, as some of the posts indicate, more a reflection of individual choices and not some evil scheme perpetuated by one gender over the other.
I believe the facts bear this out and to push for total equality on all measures of "success" is more a political issue than necessarily a practical or desirable one.