Women deserve more.
No, women earn less. Correct. Women earn less money. In the Netherlands, as much as 13% less than men (source: CBS). You earn money by working. People pay you money for the added value you put into a product or service. We go to school to learn how to earn money, and around the age of sixteen, you decide how you want to provide added value. The longest courses of study teach you the most important added value: a doctor can save your life. Because what in life has greater value than life itself?
"So women are more highly educated than men. Logically, women should earn more, right?"
As it happens, 58% of Dutch GPs are women (Source: LHV) and that share will only increase, as more than 70% of medical students are women (source: De Geneeskundestudent). In fact, for more than 23 years, more women have been graduating from both universities (54%) and higher education (53%).
So women are more highly educated than men. Logically, women should earn more, right?
But women also get more. They receive much more. They get more attention from their family members, resulting in more gifts on Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day (than men). Typical female professions are more often celebrated (Nurses’ Day or Secretary’s Day). And let’s face it: on the TV show First Dates, the man pays if the bill isn’t split.
So women earn more because they deserve it.
But not money. No, women earn less money, even per hour for the exact same job. Furthermore, women are assigned more tasks and are 10% more productive than men (Source: WEF). So they should also earn 10% more.
But did you know that in major cities like New York, young unmarried childless women earn more than men—as much as 17% more! (Source: Pew Research). But then they get pregnant and the picture changes. The worst-case scenario is the single mother: no pay gap within a gender is as large as the one between her and the single childless woman.
If giving life is such a great burden, then admit it: Women deserve more.
