Introducing: Equal Pay Day Ryan Gosling

Jennifer Winter | The Daily Muse

The wage gap women face today is no laughing matter. It's been nearly 50 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, and women still earn significantly less than their male counterparts for doing the same work. That difference will add up to quite a bit over their careers-and it has to stop.

We often talk about how to ask for a promotion, negotiate your salary, and work towards systemic change. But today, we figured you might need a little extra plain, old-fashioned encouragement. So, to help kick off Equal Pay Day, we've recruited the impossibly talented and persuasive Ryan Gosling to remind you why you deserve to be paid what you're worth, and you shouldn't be afraid to ask for it.

This article was originally published on The Daily Muse.

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Comments

[mdipary2004]

09:40 PM on 04/18/2012

Warren Farrell, three-time board of directors member of the National Organization for Women New York City, exhaustively debunks the wage gap myth in his book "Why Men Earn More." Farrell documents occupations requiring bachelor's degrees in which women's starting salaries actually exceed men's.
The real reason than men tend to out earn women is the choices they make. Men are far more likely to take unpleasant and dangerous jobs, what Farrell calls the "death and exposure professions." For example, firefighting, truck driving, mining and logging to name just a few high-risk jobs are all more than 95 percent male. Conversely, low risk jobs like secretarial work and childcare are more than 95 percent female.

[mdipary2004]

09:37 PM on 04/18/2012

As much as feminists love to parrot the statistic that women earn only 76 cents on the male dollar, they rarely bother to provide an explanation or solid evidence for this claim. But fortunately a smart new book has hit the shelves just in time for Equal Pay Day to help them out.

Equal pay for equal work has been enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act since it was made law in 1972. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also ban sex-based wage discrimination. So it seems pretty remarkable that the wage gap is so wide and pervasive even today. Attorneys should be having a field day with class-action lawsuits. But they are not. Could it be that even the legal establishment is complicit in this glaringly obvious patriarchal conspiracy?

The 76-cent statistic (now actually 80 cents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau) is misleading because it is a raw comparison of all working men and women. Thus a female receptionist working 40-hour weeks is tossed in with the male orthopedic surgeon putting in 70-hour weeks.

A study of the gender wage gap conducted by economist June O' Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, found that women earn 98 percent of what men do when controlled for experience, education, and number of years on the job.

[machasapa]

09:13 PM on 04/18/2012

that's nice and all, but WHY WHY WHY do YOU think I, a woman, need a MAN to tell me what I should want????? You are defeating the purpose. Next time why don't you pick from one of the millions of talented LADIES out their being powerful and running the world.

[Autora]

01:24 PM on 04/18/2012

It was nice of Ryan to lend himself to this subject. I don't think it will make much difference, but it was still nice.

Trouble is, as so many of us know: ask for a raise and you may get fired. Or demoted. Or...

Funny: I work with a 'Ryan,' and he is always encouraging us (men and women) to ask for raises: you won't get them if you don't ask, he says, from experience. I have asked, and am now waiting to see!

[mdipary2004]

09:33 PM on 04/18/2012

8 Reasons Why The "Gender Pay Gap" Is A Total Sham


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/actually-the-gender-pay-gap-is-just-a-myth-2011-3?op=1#ixzz1sRgKZwl5

[Autora]

10:26 PM on 04/18/2012

Okay, laugh-- if you consider 'business insider' an authority, I certainly know where YOU stand.

Their assumptions are absurd: I know many women who have not only worked dangerous or demanding jobs, but been willing to relocate for them, and been turned down by their employers for equal pay regardless of their records.

How about pipe fitter? CFO? Hauler for contracted construction work?

I am guessing you are a) not female, and b) not hurting financially.

If I am wrong I am wrong about my guesses, and will cheerfully beg your pardon. But in the meanwhile, I remain a woman working in a man's field being paid damn little for it.

[Tre Members]

11:37 AM on 04/18/2012

The Ryan Gosling thing is getting CREEPY- isn't that the word ladies?

[mplsmomma]

03:52 PM on 04/18/2012

Sorry, not with you in the least. Love him.

[whatfreshhellisthis]

05:12 PM on 04/18/2012

Not sure what 'Ryan Gosling thing' you are talking about. Creepy in what way? He seems to be intelligent, he's a very good actor, he works hard, he helps people, he's courteous. I'm old enough to be his grandmother, but I think he's an admirable young man.

[pdralle]

08:33 AM on 04/18/2012

Ryan Gosling is not only compassionate but educated. He is a gentleman's gentleman. I am not sure the beautiful oil painting over our mantle needs to be replaced by a psoter of him but he deserves the spot.

[one1byke]

07:43 AM on 04/18/2012

thanks, cool guy. now, back to j-lo or esparanza or whatever her name was.

[maryamlar]

03:31 AM on 04/18/2012

THERE IS NO EQUAL WAGE, BECAUSE THERE IS NO EQUAL TALENTS EITHER. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE. LOOK AT THE BASKETBALL PLAYERS, I NEVER ASK WHY THEY MAKE MILLIONS JUST FOR THRUOGHING A BALL INTO THE BASKET, YET I CAN NOT IMMAGIN THEM TO DO MY JOB AS A NURSE EITHER. AFTER ALL NOT EVERY THING IS LIFE IS MONEY. THERE ARE SO MUCH MEANING IN THE LIFE THAT MONEY CAN NOT COMPENSATE OR BUY THAT. I WILL NEVER EXCHANGE ONE DAY OF MY NURSING WORK WITH THAT BORING JOB THAT EVEN PRESIDENT IS DOING. I DO NOT CARE IF PRESIDENT IS MAN OR WOMAN. THERE ARE SO MANY WONDERFUL IN LIFE THAT I CAN FIGHT FOR HAVING, BUT I WILL FIGHT FOR WHAT I WILL TAKE WITH ME WHEN I DIE, NOT FOR THOSE THING I LEAVE BEHIND, AND NO ONE CARES WHO WORKED HARD TO MAKE IT, BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT REMEMBER IT EITHER. GO AND BE MORE MATURE AND DO NOT CREATE ENVEY AMONG THE MAN AND WOMEN, WE HAVE ENOUGH OF PROBLEMS, AND WOMEN IN MEDICA ARE MAKING NORE THAN ME, SO SHUT UP AND BE GRATEFUL FOR HAVING A JOB IN THE TIME OF OBAMA, UNTIL HE IS GONE OUT OF BUSINESS FOR GOOD. DO NOT LET HIM AND HIS ARMY CREATE FIGHT AMONG YOU AMERICANS.

[impetuousa]

08:33 AM on 04/18/2012

Equal pay is about two people doing the same job with the same experience/education and getting paid differently, not two people with two different jobs getting paid differently. This has nothing to do with Obama since it's been a problem long before he came into office... Decades. Maybe if you actually read things instead of picking out words and forming your own sentences or believing everything thing you hear on propaganda radio, you could make an actual argument. And please, take the caps lock off.

[Autora]

01:12 PM on 04/18/2012

Hi Impetuousa,

While I agree with what you said, I am actually writing about the caps lock thing? I usually think (as you may) that people who write in caps lock are 'shouting' at us, but I once got a really thoughtful reply by someone who said their eyesight was bad, and they couldn't read what they were writing any other way.

This may not be the case here, but I've been more tolerant of it ever since getting that reply.

[LovelySamsoon]

02:35 PM on 04/18/2012

With you on that one Impetuousa! What is with the caps? And the English was bad as well.

[MsJnz1]

09:39 AM on 04/18/2012

YOU ARE INDEED IGNORANT...NO, IGNORANT IS TOO KIND.

[FSMbaby]

10:56 PM on 04/17/2012

I have been comtemplating asking for a raise. This clinches it. If Ryan Gosling thinks I deserve a raise, then by God, I do too.

[redlotus68]

08:26 PM on 04/17/2012

Sex workers are among that group, so I would love some support with my cause. http://causes.com/benicetoprostitutes Thank you. Stephanie J. Golden, B.S.W., M.S.R.C.

[TheSarge]

07:47 PM on 04/17/2012

This is still an issue? Rather archaic and never seemed to make any sense to me. I suppose some ancient gender hierarchical nonsense started this. Equal pay means more female employees, I would like to work with all women....ok im getting off subject..lol

[B Diane]

06:45 PM on 04/17/2012

When I worked for the University of Pittsburgh many, many years ago, my boss was very pro-women in the workplace. Unusually so. A month after I started my job, I became pregnant and wasn't doing so well with it. I still worked hard, and he kindly arranged for me to do work from home. He worked hard to do this, as at the time, it was a very new concept. When everything was in place, my husband learned that we were transferred to Houston. My boss just smiled and said, "I'll never hire a woman again." Sad but true. There's some reality in here, and that's just the truth. I've never regretted my children, but they are human beings who cause some detours. Worth every second, however!!

[Angela Schwartz Mullaney]

11:24 PM on 04/17/2012

I think it was you who caused the detour by becoming pregnant. Don't blame it on your children, no matter how much you care for them.

[B Diane]

12:07 AM on 04/18/2012

Blame them? I thank them!

[waterhornet]

12:22 AM on 04/18/2012

How sad for him that he would pass by talented people simply because they're women. I'm a man but this kind of stuff bothers me deeply. WOmen get pregnant; it just sort of happens that way. Shocking but true! Just because you have a baby and need some time off to care for your infant doesn't mean you shouldn't work or get paid less! That's just stupid. I'm glad you have such a nice outlook on this though. Kids create many wonderful detours in our lives but they're more precious than gold if you ask me.

[B Diane]

01:05 AM on 04/18/2012

Thanks for taking time to write this post. Yes, children are so precious...the MOST precious. My heart breaks for women who wait only to learn that they've waited too long, which happened to my college roommate. Family is everything...everything that we work for.

[Modern and Proud]

04:46 PM on 04/17/2012

He's so DREAMY!

[Lindsay Spangler]

04:02 PM on 04/17/2012

Some of these memes insinuate that women could be paid as much as men if they just asked. Unfortunately, studies show that women ask for raises just as much as men do: http://www.care2.com/causes/new-report-backs-bias-as-cause-for-pay-gap-for-women.html

Just a thought...

[fearlessjenn]

05:23 PM on 04/17/2012

Interesting link Lindsay, thank you for sharing! Although it's still frustrating to hear women don't receive as much as men when they do ask, it's still encouraging to hear this study at least, found that women do ask!

[NegotiatingSalary]

11:11 PM on 04/19/2012

Lindsay,

That study is actually a little bit misleading. Here's why...
The study only compares female hard-charging MBA's with male hard-charging MBA's.Instead, it should compare the average female (non-MBA) against the average male (non-MBA).

Linda Babcock out of CMU did just such a study and found that the average woman is 4 times less likely to negotiate on her behalf as the average man. That is a big part of what's causing the glass ceiling salary problem.

On my blog at negotiatingsalary.com I've started a series of articles to help women learn how to negotiate the higher pay they deserve. Here's a link to the first one. I hope it helps...

http://www.negotiatingsalary.com/glass-ceiling-salary-trap-2/

David

[RationalAnimal]

02:27 PM on 04/17/2012

Equal pay laws are based equality of outcome and discrimination against men.

[NikitaAhn]

09:43 PM on 04/18/2012

Huh?