"Why are women paid less than men?"
Women -as a group- are paid less than men, because on average men
-work more hours
-work more overtime
-work more night shift and shift-work
-work in less comfortable, more dangerous environments that naturally pay more
-choose types of jobs that pay more in general
-take less time off for any reason
-prioritize pay over a comfortable work/life balance
This is speaking of averages, like pretty much all wage gap statistics do.
For individual women and men working the same job at the same company, it is illegal to pay different wages. Here is the Equal Pay Act that mandates this Pay Equality by law. This has been in effect since most of us were born (1963).
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/epa.cfm
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