This chart on sex self-segregation by the clock shows the primary reason women make less money than men. They harbor a strong disinclination for work outside of normal working hours. This is concomitant with the research that has shown women work fewer hours per week on average than men. The excuse that it is “for the children” doesn’t fully account for the gap since there are only around 35 million American households with children under 18 vs 72 million American women in the labor force. Moreover, it is a feeble excuse; an employer doesn’t care why a woman isn’t working, if she’s not working then obviously he shouldn’t have to pay her.
Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with women putting their children’s interests ahead of maximizing their income-earning potential. Putting children before Powerpoint is an excellent choice and in my opinion, more women should work fewer hours and spend more time ensuring the viability of the human race. The enlightened employer who offers the greatest amount of time flexibility to his female employees will usually find himself benefiting from a higher quality of women willing to work for him. On the other hand, it is absurd to insist that having children is not a choice, that an employer is to blame for the life choices that his employees happen to make, or that there should be no negative consequences to one’s paycheck when one is working less than other employees.