Half Of Men Think The Gender Pay Gap Is Made Up

We're used to hearing some weird things on the internet, like why period poverty isn't actually a thing, and how women can 'hold it in' rather than using tampons (we can't). But finding out that as many as 46% of men think the gender pay gap doesn't exist has probably topped the list for this week. Not only this, but searches for 'wage gap myth' are up 50% in the US over the last week. Yes, really - the internet has gone full Neil-Armstrong-moon-landing-conspiracy on it.

According to a recent survey, which was carried out by Survey Monkey across 8,500 Americans - almost half of men indicated that they believe the gender pay gap is a myth 'made up to serve a political purpose.' Exactly what 'political purpose' this might be is unclear: Is there a conspiracy theory floating around that equal-pay campaigners are gunning for world domination? That women are trying to seize female-only control of the FTSE 100 companies? (Good luck, considering in 2018 only 30 women represented boardroom positions out of 250 FTSE 100 companies).

While British men aren't surveyed in this instance, if you're anything like us you may have encountered at least one man in your life who thinks the gender pay gap is made up, wherever you happen to come from. Whether it's someone suggesting that women don't make CEO or executive positions due to maternity leave or childcare commitments, or that we're less likely to push for pay rises (sometimes true but this is still a part of a layered problem that make it harder for women to progress in their careers, making it a responsibility for companies to find solutions).

While it might only be the belief of a certain proportion of the population that the pay gap is made up (entree: the 'not all men' argument) that it exists at all is disappointing. Furthermore, the survey showed that the majority of the respondents to the survey who believe the pay gap is a myth are from the younger group. Millennial men are the age group who are more likely to still think that men and women are paid the same: yes, these are the people who hold voting power and who are most probably working alongside women every day, i.e: the ones that we really need on our sides.

As it stands, sadly the pay gap definitely does exist. The gender pay gap in the UKmeans that women are paid an average of 18.4% less than men. Now that companies with more than 250 employees are required to publish their gender pay-gap data it's been revealed that the problem is actually getting worse rather than better. Yes, in spite of the campaigns, the awareness, the legal requirements for transparency from companies - the pay gap still exists! And we know that women are being paid incrementally less in 2019 than they were in 2018 or 2017.

Added to this, a recent survey by The Times found that despite the fact women are more likely to go to University and get a job than men, five years afterwards their median earnings are £24,700 compared to £28,300 for men (figures from 2017-18) whereas a decade after graduation they are £26,900 for women and £35,300 for men.

On behalf of all women we really would love to believe that the gender pay gap is a myth: because it would mean that we would be being paid fairly and that we didn't effectively 'work for free' from the 1st of January to the 7th of April which is something no-one is excited about. But until companies are made accountable for hiring women to more senior positions and paying women equally for the same jobs as their male counterparts, gender pay inequality very much a reality.