uh, even at work today, me suggesting that we buy our coffees at handsome her triggered a lot of good conversation about the gender gap, so i think they are doing their bits
i know you have the best intentions and you are simply trying to be informative but i hope you would not be offended if i tell you that your post reads a bit as if it was built on some degree of assumptions that i know nothing about the the economics of wages
i've been an hr manager in australia for a number of years and remuneration studies is something i am very familiar with
the industries you mention do contribute to the issue since they are undervalued so i thank you for acknowledging that. there's also the issue that most upper management are still male dominated and that, as an aggregate (therefore) women upper managers, as a whole, are not compensated in parity. i mean it's a complex issue.
anyway, i am glad for the chance to discuss the topic, and i hope this thread will take a better turn in which we can acknowledge that there are valid concerns to be raised, without having to begrudge (too much) the method adopted by this one cafe
i do value your perspectives and i appreciate the dialog :>
and as for counseling, i dont prefer woman over man. as long as they are a health care professional, i think it's fine either gender. this is part of my continuing work to break down the widespread bias that women are 'softer'.... i think softness is a quality (and not a weakness) that men can also adopt without gaining the stigma associated with it.
Good, but I hope it was wholesome discussions about the gap and not just "paid 18% more. fin.". That's what antagonises people in 2017 as all of the breakdowns, facts and reasons are a Google search away (and we have to hope when discussions do come up educated people can help educate others).
I replied to your post initially as you like some others mention "hurt/triggering/rustled jimmies" on this forum, so I thought I could contribute why some people (not the hyperbolic men who don't even know what the gap is themselves) get a bit frustrated. As I tried to say this shouldn't be an argument which is like an episode of Celebrity Roast, except it's men versus women. The best dialogue happens when people are educated and can actually talk about the reasons for the gap, not a massive online game of "zing!".
As for the statement about being okay as long as they are a health professional, most probably will feel this way. However, it's not a shocker many women will prefer to talk to a woman, but even a fair few guys tip that way as well. Sometimes penis problems, or sexual problems, then men go straight to I
need to talk to another man. However, there is still some bias when it comes to mental health, social issues, bereavement counselling and other upsetting/difficult life events with both men and women on average preferring women. It again is not some case of we need 50:50 parity across all these jobs/industries. Men should be encouraged just as much as anyone else that good careers exist in nursing, counselling and so on. They maybe just don't pay as highly as electrical engineering, but people should largely pursue careers that will make them happy (as long as you can pay your bills). I'm studying to go into psychology, and become a doctor. No surprise though, that throughout most of my life I've been called feminine very often, sometimes it verging on being done for the reason of bullying (I got called gay a lot at school - I'm not gay), not just highlighting my inner characteristics/traits in a diverse way.
It's somewhat understandable in any industry where good bedside manner, compassion, care, empathy, listening, patience and more is required there may be more of a desire to lean on someone who displays all of that outwardly and as part of their nature. Often, stereotypically speaking, that can emanate from someone who is
more feminine than masculine. As much as the internet these days often wants to see "feminine" and "masculine" as words of heresy and that everyone is a blank slate. Biology, human traits and behavioural characteristics would disagree with that desire to tear down science and treat all of biology/psychology of the brain like some social construct, but I digress. That's going offtopic from the gap, but it's the further expanded discussion on why some industries lean heavily female, while others can be male. The challenge is to roll the carpet out to both sexes in all careers, but ultimately, you cannot herd millions of people like cattle and demand they work in industries to artificially alter statistics you don't like. Generally speaking, anti-discrimination laws exist so that hiring and wage paying cannot unfairly exclude, diminish and discriminate. If people want to talk about ways that can alter the gap, it's routinely not by law. It's social and educational issues, and even then, I don't think you'll ever not see a gap exist, because as I said with some things in life there is never going to be 50:50 parity. Such as with career choices, as you can roll that carpet out and try and educate all that
anyone can be a nurse or a programmer, but individuals are still going to choose what they want to go into. This is before we even throw child-rearing and maternity leave into the mix, another factor which not for exclusively nefarious reasons often gets handled by the female. There are more stay at home dads now, or dads working part-time whilst the mother is in the full-time breadwinning position. Often in part thanks to a society with less stigma and social expectation that
only women can child rear during the infancy stages. There is also far more opportunities for nursery/babysitting than there ever was, but that's not always something many parents want to rely on if they can financially support themselves with one main salary.
Part-time work is yet again another thing which can contribute towards the gap. Across the board, you're still far more likely to see more part-time female workers, than male, in part due to what I finished that last paragraph on, child rearing. So it's another part of the extensive puzzle as to why a gap exists. I know now you probably know all of this due to your post, but for the benefit of others there's some discussion to delve into when you're all finished aruing about coffees costing 18% more.
