The pay gap varies considerably in Europe, according to Eurostat, ranging from as little as 5.5% in Italy and Luxembourg to as much as 26.9% in Estonia. As it happens, the gap in Poland is relatively small: Only about 7%, or half what it is in Spain.
In America, the pay gap is about 20%, though it also varies considerably by state.
A GOP official in Utah, James Green, apologized in February after making a similar argument about the biological reasons for the pay gap.
His letter to the editor, titled “Equal Pay for Women Has Consequences” and published in both the Wasatch Wave and the Park Record, reads, “Traditionally men have earned more than women in the workplace because they are considered the primary breadwinners for families. They need to make enough to support their families and allow the Mother to remain in the home to raise and nurture the children.”
Pay equity, Green maintains, creates competition, depresses wages for breadwinners and, in consequence, forces more women into the workforce. He concludes, “that is bad for families and thus for all of society.”
In his apology, Green says, “Women’s contributions in the workplace are just as valuable as any one else’s. I was merely pointing out the historical reasons for pay disparity and the challenges of overcoming that.”
