Mind the Pay Gap: It's Not There

Last month's "Behind the Pay Gap" report from the American Association of University Women once again highlighted a purported disparity between salaries earned by men and women. One year after graduation, women appear to be paid only 80% of what men are paid, the report found. After 10 years, their pay dropped to 69%.

That would be terrible - if true. Instead, the much ballyhooed gender pay gap is a false premise, and it risks distracting Iowa and the nation from focusing on innovative ways to lead and develop the work force in changing times.

The truth is that women choose professional careers that pay less in the entry-level marketplace. That is a career choice, not a pay gap.

From the commentary "Gender Pay Differences: Mind the Gap; It's not There," in the Des Moines Register.