Last week, we posed a controversial question: Is
the economy a level playing field for men and women, or are the cards
stacked against one gender -- as the result of workplace sexism or the
natural evolution of the economy?
You responded with more than 100 comments. We published a round-up of the most interesting and nuanced answers. To cap this bi-weekly collaborative feature called "Working It Out," our correspondent Marty Nemko published his take, Why the Economy Is Biased Against Men.
To incorporate the big response from readers, we've decided to publish two additional counterpoints from Catalyst, a nonprofit organization for expanding women's business opportunities, and Bryce Covert, the editor of the Roosevelt Institute's New Deal 2.0 blog. Your comments, as always, are welcome.
***
Why Women Face Real Discrimination
-- Bryce Covert, editor of the Roosevelt Institute's Next New Deal and a blogger for ForbesWoman.
On Wednesday, Marty Nemko said that it's men, not women, who are discriminated against in today's economy.
First, Nemko claims the wage gap is bunk. It is "calculated in a way that is biased against men," he says, because "men are more likely to be in specialties requiring longer training, high-stress, and irregular hours." He also writes that "in honest conversation," there is a consensus that men are more willing to put their lives aside to get promoted and women are focused on having and raising children. This is, in his mind, the root of economic differences between men and women: They have different priorities.