Lost Grrrls

Most likely you’ve heard the wage gap has nothing to do with discrimination and everything to do with choice. Those who opposed the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill designed to strengthen the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and that was shot down by the Senate this past November, say women make personal choices that lead to lower pay. They tell you that women choose to take time off to have families and if they return, that they choose the mommy track at work. And then they ask you, if women aren’t working as long and hard as men, why should they get paid the same amount?

But while it may look like women are opting out of the rat race so they can take Junior to Gymboree, the reality is what might look like a choice is actually a compromise. American businesses have made it close to impossible for two working parents to balance, or even afford, work due to inadequate family-leave policies, cost-prohibitive child care, and too few sick days. And in every family, something’s got to give. Many women leave the workforce or reduce their hours because their husbands earn more than they do and it’s the only way they can manage the household.