Myth 1: Women get less pay for equal work. The spurious assertion that women are paid 77 cents for a mans wage dollar comes from comparing the earnings of all full-time men with those of all full-time women.
The comparison is bogus, for two reasons. First, it lumps together men and women who work different numbers of hours any hours above 35 hours per week. On average, full-time women work fewer hours than full-time men, often because they prefer it.
When comparisons are made between men and women who work 40 hours per week, women make 87% of mens earnings, according to the Labor Department. For men and women who work 30 to 34 hours a week, women make more, 109% of mens earnings.
Second, the gap claim averages for each gender earnings from many and disparate vocations. For example, it averages women who work as social workers with men who work as investment bankers; female elementary school teachers with male engineers; and male loggers with female administrative assistants.