Study: Men Leverage Job Offers for Pay Raises More Than Women

Is this more proof of systemic discrimination or simply the result of different career choices?

Published JUL 20

Study: Men Leverage Job Offers for Pay Raises More Than Women

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Above: A man and woman during a job interview. Image credit: Unsplash

The Spin

Left narrative

The gender pay gap is real and persistent, with Black and Hispanic women faring even worse. Men can negotiate aggressively for higher pay without social penalty, while women who do the same face backlash, lower hiring odds and reduced promotion chances. Structural fixes like pay transparency, standardized interviews and banning salary history questions are essential to closing this gap.

Harvard Law School ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin

Right narrative

The raw gender pay gap collapses once you account for hours worked, occupation, experience and career interruptions, with the adjusted gap shrinking to just a penny or two. Much of what remains traces to time flexibility, childbirth penalties and individual career priorities, not discrimination. The same is clear in studies like this, so blaming employers and seeking government intervention won't change a thing.

Meng Hu on HBD and Austrian Economics on Substack American Thinker