Apples and Oranges

Well, Equal Pay Day looms. " 'Women and their families can no longer afford to be shortchanged,' said Beth Duke, president of the Business and Professional Women's Montana federation."

Even though the City and the County will recognize the Day, though, there is still a question whether the "pay gap" even exists, or exists to an extent that is statistically significant. Some contend it is simply comparing apples to oranges. Maybe it reflects differing priorities. Maybe it reflects a different willingness to do different jobs.

Personally, I think it is the apples to oranges thing. Businesses, on the whole, exist to make money. If a woman is hired at the same time as a man, and performs equally, she will be compensated accordingly in all but the most isolated cases. At least that reflects my experience, not that the same can necessarily be extrapolated to society as a whole.

P.S. Look at the sidebar to the article: "Self-audit Questions for Businesses." What do minorities have to do with the gender gap? Is racism the same as sexism? Do the authors betray their left-wing leanings by blurring the two? Businessmen equal white males equal evildoers equals we need to protect women and "minorities."