“You Know That ‘Women Make 77 Cents to Every Man’s Dollar’ Line? It’s Not True.” The long-refuted canard gave President Obama one of his biggest applause lines in the State of the Union address. [Hanna Rosin, Slate] More from, among many others, Christina Hoff Sommers, Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Cathy Young, and the Glenn Kessler/Washington Post.
5 Comments
I think you missed the point. In context, the Pres. was saying how much better he and his administration are than those penny-pinching Republicans, who only pay women 77 cents for each dollar they pay men. At his White House, he and his staff pay 87 cents for each dollar paid women.* So, vote for me since I think you’re worth 10 cents on the dollar!**
* Perry, “Gender wage gap at the White House: Female staffers are paid less than 87 cents for every dollar paid to men” (Sept. 5, 2013), http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/09/gender-wage-gap-at-the-white-house-female-staffers-are-paid-less-than-87-cents-for-every-dollar-paid-to-men/?utm_source=today&utm_medium=paramount&utm_campaign=090613
** You’re Worth 10 Cents on the Dollar for Congress Committee 2014 ™
This illustrates yet again why the witnesses in court are not sworn simply to “tell the truth.” The bare truth is often not sufficient and can be quite misleading.
One may tell the truth, yet fail to tell the whole truth and / or nothing but the truth. Politicians and other hucksters do that all the time. It’s deceptive, and usually deliberate.
Watch out.
One wonders why any employer would hire a man if s/he could get a women to do the same work for 23% less.
However, the question nobody seems to be asking is this: where do these people get the idea that men and women live separate lives? They usually live together and pool resources. The way some people talk, anyone would think that every dollar a husband brings home is spent solely on himself, while his poor old wife has to feed, clothe, and house herself on a 77% income.
Indeed, one of the stats Hanna Rosin quoted was that a female business graduate earns 40% less if her husband is earning a high income. Conclusion: why work yourself to death if you’ve got a rich husband?
As one humourist put it: Of course, we all know that men earn more than women, but we also know that the real fun of money is not working hard to earn it, but in spending it. And in that regard, women are at least as adept as men.
They’re rummaging through the private life of every goddamn American and they still can’t get their facts straight? I’m with Clark: Burn It Down.
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