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Salary Gender Gap May Be All in Your Head

Traditional-minded men outearn supporters of equal pay

By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 22, 2008 12:09 PM CDT

(Newser) – Not only is the gender gap in pay persistent, it affects men as well as women. Men with traditional views on a woman's place in the world earn, on average, $12,000 more per year than men who believe in egalitarian business practices, the Washington Post reports. Traditionally minded women make the least of all, according to a new study.

The study, which covers the last quarter-century, looked at men and women working similar jobs, with similar hours and lengths of tenure. Controlling for those variables dispelled some long-held conventional wisdom, suggesting that "a lot of the difference may be in men's salaries," says a study co-author. Traditional-minded men may negotiate harder for higher wages, and employers may discriminate against men who flout stereotype by holding egalitarian attitudes.

Michelle Obama, right, hugs Lilly Ledbetter, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008, during  a forum in Richmond, Va. Ledbetter led a fight for equal pay for women.
Michelle Obama, right, hugs Lilly Ledbetter, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008, during a forum in Richmond, Va. Ledbetter led a fight for equal pay for women.   (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Free daily e-mail DailyCents.com service gives women information about workplace success, balancing family and work, personal finance health issues, and beauty.
Free daily e-mail DailyCents.com service gives women information about workplace success, balancing family and work, personal finance health issues, and beauty.   (AP Photo)
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Regardless of the jobs people chose, or how long they worked at them, there was still a significant effect of gender role attitudes on income. - Beth A Livingston, co-author of the new study

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