Alex Castellanos Denies Women Make Less Than Men

A GOP strategist on Sunday denied that women make less money in the workplace than their male counterparts.

Responding to Rachel Maddow's comment that "women in this country still make 77 cents on the dollar for what men make," Alex Castellanos said on 'Meet The Press'. "Not exactly ... actually, if you start looking at the numbers Rachel, there are lots of reasons for that."

"Don't tell me the reasons, do women make less than men for doing the same work?" Maddow shot back.

"Actually, because for example, men work an average of 44 hours a week, women work 41 hours a week," he said. "Men go into professions like engineering, science and math that earn more. Women want more flexibility."

The GOP adviser and former Romney consultant added that if that were the case, "every greedy businessman in America would hire only women, save 25% and be hugely profitable."

Despite Castellanos' claims, new research shows that women make considerably less than men in the workplace. A study published by American Association of University Women, based on U.S. census data, found that on average--as Maddow said--women make 23 cents less than men.

In some industries, the gap is even worse. A recent Bloomberg study found that women on Wall Street make between 55 and 62 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make.

Republicans have come under fire of late for their criticism and failure to show support for the Lilly Ledbetter Act, a law signed by President Obama that helps women receive equal pay. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was heavily criticized for quietly repealing his state's equal pay law.

Watch Maddow and Castellanos spar over the gender wage gap in the video above, courtesy of MSNBC.

Comments

[eenp718]

07:27 PM on 02/16/2013

When the same people who have been proven to be lying are on faux-T.V., and they make ignorant statements like this, why isn't it easy to see, they, like karlrove's crew, they are paid to not tell any truth, and you can't trust anything they say. The repubs all stick to the same story, just hoping that their followers can't remember, what was said, 3-days ago. The Lilly-Ledbetter Law, was for that reason, and when some folks deny this practice, they show they have NO-INTEGRITY! Something like the whole repub-party platform. No-truth, no-plan but obstruction, and no-hope to fix these problems.

[eenp718]

08:28 PM on 02/15/2013

When the same people who have been proven to be lying are on network T.V., and they make ignorant statements like this, why isn't it easy to see, they, like karlrove's crew, are paid to lie, and you can't trust anything they say. The repubs all stick to the same story, just hoping that their followers can't remember, what was said, 3-days ago. The Lilly-Ledbetter Law, was for that reason, and when some folks deny this practice, they show they have NO-INTEGRITY! Something like the whole repub-party platform.

[Louis Calabro]

05:35 PM on 07/03/2012

Please provide a specific example where a women is doing exactly the same work as a man and receiving 77% of a man's pay, or just less than a mans pay.

[Species5618]

06:34 PM on 06/17/2012

I almost hate to agree, but I do. I see women around me who are making more than the men I know. I see women and men in the same positions making the same amount of money based on the actual job. My current job, the pay is based on experience and education. I don't know what my male counterparts make but they've been working at this company longer than I have and been in this profession longer than I have. I also know that my last job, I was the only woman in my workgroup and aside from the two men who had been with the company for 30 years, I made more than the others. I think a lot of it does come down to women having the courage to ask for what they are worth.

[AndCorazones]

12:37 PM on 06/28/2012

1. Anecdote does not equal data (But that just may be the academic in me). In other words, your limited experience may not be indicative of national trends.

2. I find it fascinating that so many of your coworkers are willing to show you their paychecks.

[Species5618]

01:13 PM on 06/28/2012

Just sayin'.  Never said my experience is the way it is everywhere. But, experience means far more than no examples being given on websites. And if you actually find that fascinating, you must lead an incredibly boring life.  To be honest to you, none of them have ever shown me their paycheck. They're just typical men who think they're bragging about their pay, when,  little do they know, I made more than them.  So, seriously, find a hobby that will bring some excitement into your life.  Your level of fascination needs a boost. 

[comatunes]

08:34 PM on 06/16/2012

I've always wondered how true this persistent belief is. I'm not saying it is or it isn't. But in my experience I have not seen it to be true. I've worked in education, where teachers make what they make according to credentials, and time in. I've worked in video production where editors made editor pay, regardless of gender. I've worked in HR and saw the paperwork for many salaries. In all of those cases, the women were making a lot more money than I was. I'm disinclined to believe this. There are some facts that people want to believe based on other genuinely unfair realities. I just don't believe this is true.

[Roderick Hunt]

04:27 PM on 05/02/2012

Have the price of gas doubled since 2008? I don't believe that the price of gasoline was over 8 dollars. But let's us understand it's the Republican women, like Cathy McMorris Rodgers in congress that are used to hide their party's agenda to introduce as many anti-abortion bills as possible. "Almost immediately after coming into office in 2011, Virginia Republicans set the national stage for vital women’s health issues. House Bill 1 — the first bill Virginia Republicans chose to take on — was a personhood bill, a bill that define life beginning at conception. Not only would the bill have banned abortion, it would also have banned the birth control pill, which sometimes prevents birth by stopping the implantation of a fertilized egg."
''Republicans were pushing anti-abortion, anti-contraception bills all around the nation. Pennsylvania, Kansas, Mississippi and Texas all made national headlines with their own bills. In more than 20 states, bills have been introduced to restrict insurance coverage of abortions, according to ABC News. At the federal level, Republicans have made funding for Planned Parenthood a top issue time and time again, and insurance companies covering contraception recently became such a big issue that the White House had to step in."

[catndryer]

03:45 PM on 05/16/2012

There are 573 unrelated provisions in the so-called Affordable Healthcare Act that promote a wide variety of Lefty issues. This is true of any and all legislation passed before the Tea Party corrected the Lefty monopoly in Congress.

The Republican platform does not oppose Birth Control. We like it. We are very happy that it is CHEAP and widely AVAILABLE.

We OPPOSE forcing ANYONE to promote and assist in the genacide known as Abortion.

In fact it is a violation of Federal Law for tax revenues to be used for ABORTION...period.

Republicans fight CONTINUALLY to stop the left from changing that law and CIRCUMVENTING IT.

[Roderick Hunt]

12:05 AM on 05/17/2012

So you buy all of the propoganda that the Right feeds you, I see. I could list all of the anti-contraceptive, anti-abortion legislation that the cons have enacted since the Tea Baggers have gotten into office, but I seriously doubt if you would see it. But just recently, *Governor Brownback of Kansas just signed ...Kansas Governor Signs Bill Allowing Pharmacists And Doctors To Deny Women Birth Control...*Oklahoma Senate passes Personhood Act, saying life begins at conception...There's Virginia, and several other states that have been working to deny women contraceptive medication. Listen, abortion is a legal medical procedure that SHOULD BE DECIDED by the woman and her doctor. The Righties just cannot understand this concept. Why? Also, GenOcide is an incorrect term when used to describe abortion. Genocide is what the Europeans settlers did to the indigenous people of the Americas. It's defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", A women who's been raped by her father, brother or cousin or by a stranger should not be made to have their babies. Women have the intelligence to make their own decisions about terminating their pregnancy or not. You guys should stay out of the wombs of women and worry about your own problems.

[politicojunkie]

04:11 PM on 05/01/2012

I was so angry by what Castellanos was saying and the way he would cut Rachel off when she tried to speak, I wanted her to pimp slap his butt. He was so rude!

[jdug]

12:14 PM on 05/02/2012

That kind of rude behavior is a trademark of repubs. Watch any show - Hannity, O'Reilly, etc, etc. or almost all repubs when they are guests.

[catndryer]

03:47 PM on 05/16/2012

"Cutting People Off" is business as usual on Meet the Press.....but usually at the expence of any conservative opinion. Play it back...and time the responces. You'll be surprised to find that Castellanos got less than 1/3rd the minutes to speak that the liberal freaks got.

[eschaff]

03:59 PM on 05/01/2012

Marjorie Clifton (another huffpo blogger) had another great argument for why we need the equal pay act on Fox News as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRMGYyaQ3JI&feature=youtu.be

[BobZoom]

02:14 PM on 05/01/2012

Women who are being paid MORE than a man for doing the same job, please step forward.

Someone? Anyone? Come on, there has to be at least one woman out there making more than a man would make for doing the same job.

C'mon Oprah, certainly you...

[draam]

12:28 PM on 05/01/2012

Yes, women are often paid less than men. And yes, women should be able to sue for redress of legitimate discrimination.

But statistics can be deceiving. Take for example my profession, teaching. Typically men and women are paid on exactly the same pay schedule. Pay increases with experience and education level and sometimes for extra duties such as coaching and extracurricular activities. Even though the pay schedule is exactly the same for men and women, Rachel cites the fact that men teachers make more than women. How can this be?

If the average male teacher has a higher education level or more experience or takes on more extracurricular work, this would account for the statistical difference. Should policy be changed to compensate for this statistical difference? Probably not.

[Roderick Hunt]

04:43 PM on 05/02/2012

Are you assuming that female teachers don't obtain higher education levels, degrees, and do extracurricular work? I hope not. I'm married to one and know a lot of her peers and have also volunteered in my daughter's school. The female teachers attend many, if not all of the extracurriculum assignments for their school and district. Perhaps they are paid more, I don't know. I think what Rachel was talking about was something across the board in America. But a better argument of wage disparity would be to break down why there is a disparity. Are men asking for a higher wage, raises, extra work? And if we as men take on more and more work outside of the home, should be expect women to settle for less at the worksite? It has appeared that men, more than women, would sacrifice their family time for more pay. Men are most likely to miss their milestones in order to work more hours, and companies know this. That could be the reason they hire and pay men more.

[Species5618]

06:51 PM on 06/17/2012

I'd be willing to bet a lot of those men would gladly not miss their child's milestones. I think you're on the right track about men asking for a higher wage/raises. Extra work? Not so much. As a woman in a predominantly male profession, my last job I asked for more when I was interviewing. I got it. I also asked for a decent raise. I got it. But, I also know my accomplishments were greater. It wasn't that I felt the need to work harder to prove myself. It is just my work ethic to always work hard. Definitely can't say that about my coworkers. My current job - same thing. They hired a man shortly before hiring me. I assume he makes a little bit more than I do because he has more certifications. But, he sure doesn't work very hard to earn his pay. But, my bosses will never see that so it is what it is.
I agree that I would like to see what criteria is being used to show that men make more than women despite equal workloads.

[scottsdalebubbe]

07:27 PM on 02/14/2013

At one time, a newly credentialed teacher in certain districts California could be started anywhere within the first 3 steps of the pay scale, regardless of experience or units earned. Same for civil service. So women were started at the 1st step and men were started at the 3rd step. Pay scales in some unified districts for teachers also were higher for high school teachers than for elementary school teachers.

[plutonium]

11:43 AM on 05/01/2012

This is a statement from one of the studies quoted by Rachel Maddow; the GAO study. The GAO study _does not_ conclude that there is discrimination. See p.5. See the last sentence:

"Researchers have not agreed on the reasons for differences in pay between women and men. Some maintain these pay differences are due to differences in personal characteristics of working women and men, such as educational attainment. Others attribute pay differences to the types of jobs in which women and men typically work, with women more often working in lower paying occupations and jobs than men.
Our analysis adjusted for a select number of variables that were available and are commonly used when examining pay differences. However, we acknowledge that there are many variables and methods of analysis, other than those we included, that could be used that would yield different numbers for an adjusted pay difference than our analysis yielded.
Some of the unexplained differences in pay seen here could be explained by factors for which we lacked data or are difficult to measure, such as level of managerial responsibility, field of study, years of experience, or discriminatory practices, all of which may affect earnings. Our analysis neither confirms nor refutes the presence of discriminatory practices."

[disgusted67]

05:40 AM on 05/01/2012

Alex Castellanos' discussion with Rachel will haunt him for the rest of his life. It probably would even lessen his belief in his manhood, being trashed by a woman.

[catndryer]

03:49 PM on 05/16/2012

You live in fairy land.

He ate her alive.

[Louis Calabro]

05:51 PM on 07/03/2012

You're Koo koo--Ms. Maddow almost broke down crying as he clearly handled her empty charges. No proof, just hysteria. Sad for all women.

[luvcats13]

04:05 AM on 05/01/2012

All y'all flapping about the difference is because if this or that and it's not comparing the same professions and it includes CEOs and engineers to waitresses and maids. STOP. Does anyone really believe that women have not been discriminated against regularly in the workplace - in salaries, in promotions, in perks and in fanny-grabbing? If you think discrimination has not and does not continue - I can't help it if your ignorant. For those who agree that discrimination exists and is wrong, but wonder what to do, how about this. Pass the Equal Rights Amendment. It won't hurt a thing if there is no discrimination. REQUIRE companies to post job descriptions, education and experience requirements, salary levels, required work hours, etc. Allow for restitution in the courts. Bingo - a lot of problems resolved (including how companies are hiding how much their top level managers are making, male and female)! Does anybody think we, men or women, should put up with somebody's buddy's nephew making twice as much as everybody else doing same job? Posting jobs and salaries will help men who aren't "connected" get paid fairly as well.

[ron2win]

05:17 AM on 05/01/2012

while we are at it .Lets all start wearing the same type of cloths to.Either make every one bring their own lunch or make it mandatory every one has to buy anyhing consumed at work from vending machines.We will all take turns parking in the first row ,why should some one be able to park close to the door just because they got to work on time or a little earlier..I think this is a step in the right direction if we are all striveing to be equal !

[luvcats13]

05:39 AM on 05/01/2012

First - let's get you some writing and spelling lessons. Then, let me explain that the equality I discussed has nothing to do with the trivial tripe you spewed. But depending on your age, you will probably be far out paced by your female coworkers, with or without an Equal Rights Amendment!

Keep on striveing to stay ignurunt. Hope you at least look purty

[Louis Calabro]

05:54 PM on 07/03/2012

Maybe you had better not get what you hope for---the discrimination discovered by ERA maybe favorable to women and hurtful to men. Too much for your ego??

[cosmicman]

01:08 AM on 05/01/2012

Seems like all male Republicans think women are stupid. Do they get that from hanging out with their wives?

[OkhamsRazzor]

11:05 PM on 04/30/2012

Time to fire a mod...

[OkhamsRazzor]

11:31 PM on 04/30/2012

And the real one never made it...what was wrong with it besides "nothing"?