Comments on: Equal pay for women? http://pipka.org/blog/2008/03/10/equal-pay-for-women/ ... taking over the world like we always do! Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:58:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Russell Coker http://pipka.org/blog/2008/03/10/equal-pay-for-women/#comment-780 Russell Coker Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:30:47 +0000 http://pipka.org/blog/2008/03/10/equal-pay-for-women/#comment-780 http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs%40.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/96e08af8f4178a45ca257306000d4fd4!OpenDocument The median income is more relevant. The above ABS page shows that the median income for males is more than double that of females. The problem with measuring average income is that it is skewed by the results of the high earners. If one group is buying Mercedes C class and BMW 3 series and another is buying Mercedes S class and BMW 7 series then the vast majority of the population is not going to care. A proper analysis of this issue would compare the median income with the prices for renting, eating, and maintaining a car (repair, petrol, and insurance). Earning $700 per week (the middle of the median band for male employees) is significantly better than earning $325 (the middle of the median band for female employees). Subtract housing expenses and a minimal amount of food expenses from $325 per week and there probably isn't enough money left to maintain a roadworthy car. http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/GPG_Report_Final_21_Feb.pdf The original report which started this round of discussions (URL above) is aimed at supporting the union movement. While it's fine for the union movement to want to demonstrate their efforts at getting fair pay for their members. Anyone who is interested in getting equal living standards for men and women needs to concentrate on the issue of women working in jobs that are paid less. GetUp chose to take a different approach to the ITUC (pity that they didn't cite a source of data that matches their aims or do their own analysis of ABS data). They claim that a cultural change is needed because hairdressers get paid less than mechanics. The fact is that I'm not going to die from a bad haircut but I might die as a direct result of a bad job by a mechanic (I've had one near-miss already). Therefore I'm less prepared to shop around for a low price when getting my car fixed. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs%40.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/96e08af8f4178a45ca257306000d4fd4!OpenDocument

The median income is more relevant. The above ABS page shows that the median income for males is more than double that of females.

The problem with measuring average income is that it is skewed by the results of the high earners. If one group is buying Mercedes C class and BMW 3 series and another is buying Mercedes S class and BMW 7 series then the vast majority of the population is not going to care.

A proper analysis of this issue would compare the median income with the prices for renting, eating, and maintaining a car (repair, petrol, and insurance).

Earning $700 per week (the middle of the median band for male employees) is significantly better than earning $325 (the middle of the median band for female employees). Subtract housing expenses and a minimal amount of food expenses from $325 per week and there probably isn’t enough money left to maintain a roadworthy car.

http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/GPG_Report_Final_21_Feb.pdf

The original report which started this round of discussions (URL above) is aimed at supporting the union movement. While it’s fine for the union movement to want to demonstrate their efforts at getting fair pay for their members. Anyone who is interested in getting equal living standards for men and women needs to concentrate on the issue of women working in jobs that are paid less.

GetUp chose to take a different approach to the ITUC (pity that they didn’t cite a source of data that matches their aims or do their own analysis of ABS data). They claim that a cultural change is needed because hairdressers get paid less than mechanics. The fact is that I’m not going to die from a bad haircut but I might die as a direct result of a bad job by a mechanic (I’ve had one near-miss already). Therefore I’m less prepared to shop around for a low price when getting my car fixed.

]]> By: A.Y. Siu http://pipka.org/blog/2008/03/10/equal-pay-for-women/#comment-778 A.Y. Siu Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:43:04 +0000 http://pipka.org/blog/2008/03/10/equal-pay-for-women/#comment-778 While I agree that women should vie for what they're economically worth in the workplace and research what that is, I think there could be a place for government intervention, since men can also vie for <i>more</i> than they're worth... and get it! Sexism runs both ways—it can keep women down, but it can also lift men up. While I agree that women should vie for what they’re economically worth in the workplace and research what that is, I think there could be a place for government intervention, since men can also vie for more than they’re worth… and get it!

Sexism runs both ways—it can keep women down, but it can also lift men up.

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