Demystifying the gender wage gap

Today, women in the United States are paid 22% less than men on average. Twenty years ago, that number looked about the same, despite women’s many advancements in education and the workforce.

The gender pay gap is stark, stubborn and often misunderstood in its intricacies.

On the show today, Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, unpacks why the gender pay gap hasn’t really budged in the last two decades, what people get wrong about it and what needs to change to finally close it.

In the News Fix: One Republican lawmaker is stalling military promotions to keep service members from getting better access to abortion care. His colleagues are not pleased. And, the Senate has started hearings on the failures of SVB and Signature Bank. We’ll discuss the mind-blowing speed of the banks’ meltdowns and the group chat behind it all.

Later, one listener tells us about a restaurant subscription they love. And in the spirit of cherry blossom season, this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from Diana Parsell, author of “Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees.”

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • It’s Equal Pay Day. The salary gap between men and women isn’t shrinking. from NPR

• • “‘Women’s work’ and the gender pay gap: How discrimination, societal norms, and other forces affect women’s occupational choices—and their pay” from the Economic Policy Institute

• • “As Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops” from The New York Times

• • “Gender pay gap figures: debunking the myths” from The Guardian

• • “Why do some people get paid more than others?” from Marketplace’s “Million Bazillion”

• • “The Republican senator who is stifling the Pentagon over abortion” from Punchbowl News

• • “Defense chief slams Tuberville’s hold on Pentagon nominees over abortion policy” from The Hill

• • “‘It’s a powerful effect’: Austin fires back at GOP senator’s blockade of military promotions” from Politico

• • “US Officials Signal New Rules for Banks After SVB, Signature Failures” from Bloomberg

• • “Senate holds its first hearing into SVB and Signature Bank failures” from NBC News

• • The FTC wants to make it easy to cancel subscriptions from The Washington Post

• • Diana Parsell’s “Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees”

What have you been wrong about lately? We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question! Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.