Ah those statistics

are at it again! Really, they should be rounded up!

The "gender pay gap" issue was in the news last night and in the paper this morning. And yes, I believe equal work should result in equal pay. The Senior Cat also believed this. He was one of those who fought for female teachers to be paid at the same rate as male teachers. He also fought for their right to "continuous" service when they married - instead of the absolutely ridiculous requirement that they "resign" and then be "re-employed" - losing all their sick leave and long service leave in the process.  Yes, those things made a difference to their pay packets as well.

But the report seems to have been about something different. It took "averages" here, there and everywhere. It did not look closely at the differing types of work done. There was no real consideration given to the fact that women tend to work in areas where everyone is paid less. It may not be right but it is what happens.

I wonder how accurate the report really is. Yes, there will be differences but do all women really earn less for paid employment in positions of equal responsibility when you take all the other factors into account? There is a comment by someone that female airline pilots get the same rate of pay. I know bus and train drivers do too. Supermarket employees vary but that has more to do with length of service and responsibilities. There is a female surgeon I know who earns more than many of her male counterparts in the same field.

The neighbour who works for the tax office complained that he was not earning as much as several of his female colleagues but he works from home. The last time he went into the office was in November. He doesn't need to travel to and from his workplace. He takes his two children to and from school. He is doing what many women have done for years...and gets a little less because he is actually doing a little less which is directly involved with his work.

Perhaps we need to look at these things and then adjust the statistics and work on the pay gap from there. I think the pay gap exists and it needs to be rectified but it might be that there are other things we need to take into account.

Still, it won't do any harm to round up those statistics and put them in their rightful place.