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From: beth@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Beth Christy)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.politics,net.social
Subject: Re: Discrimination against women and statistics
Message-ID: <741@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Jun-85 10:15:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: sphinx.741
Posted: Thu Jun 27 10:15:51 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Jun-85 02:18:47 EDT
References: <457@unc.UUCP>
Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center
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From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann), Message-ID: <457@unc.UUCP>:
>In article  fagin@ucbvax.UUCP (Barry Steven Fagin) writes:
>>"Actually, many of the factors that contribute to the earnings gap are the
>>result of personal choices made by women themselves, not decisions thrust
>>on them by bosses.  The most important example is marriage."
>
>One other factor is that women tend to choose occupations with greater
>nonmonetary benefits which may compensate for the lower pay scales.  That is,
>women more often choose occupations which center around helping other people
>and cooperating with them (teacher, nurse, secretary, social worker).
>The direct gratitude from the helpee satisfies some of the woman's social
>needs.
>
>Men more often find themselves in occupations which either isolate them
>from other people, or pits them in anxiety-provoking competition.
>Some of these higher paying "men's jobs" are dirty and dangerous as well.
>
>The fallacy of the equal-pay-for-equal-work idea is that it compares
>only the paychecks and level of skill and training required.  If we do not
>also factor in the safety, pleasantness, and emotional effects of the job,
>then this plan is likely to create more unfairness than it rectifies.
>
>	Frank Silbermann

Right.  We should pay nurses less because it's *so* much more pleasant and
rewarding to watch people in agony die than it is to do dirty and dangerous
work like resurfacing roads.  Earth to Frank, Earth to Frank - methinks
you're on the wrong planet.

I'm personally *certain* that teachers, nurses and social workers across
the nation consider the intangible benefits they get from being asked to
give of their very essence *all* the time to *more* than compensate for
being only barely able to support themselves and their kid(s).  I think
this pay scale thing is just hype from the idle rich who have nothing
better to do than stir up some fuss for their own amusement.

[Editor's note:  The above should be read with the heaviest sarcastic tone
 you can muster.]

Get real, Frank.

-- 

--JB                                 All we learn from history is that
                                       we learn nothing from history.