Why Men Earn More

In this summary you will learn

• What 25 steps women can take to make more money
• How to weigh career decisions that involve trade-offs affecting your work-life balance
• What contradictions are inherent in men’s and women’s traditional roles
• How feminism has misrepresented women’s true position in the workplace

getAbstract rating

Why you should read Why Men Earn More

Men’s movement guru Warren Farrell says don’t blame discrimination for the gap between men’s and women’s salaries. As he teaches women (and men, we suppose) tactics for bagging bigger bucks, he says that men earn more because women have a tendency - or perhaps a biological instinct - to prioritize family over career. Thus, Farrell maintains, women work shorter hours, take more parental leave, and are less productive, less well trained and less committed. If you are a male who has prioritized hearth and home, perhaps you have made some of the same choices that Farrell says cost women higher salaries. The book is full of footnotes, charts, graphs and sidebars, as Farrell cites U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data (as well as, occasionally, himself). However, his analysis of the numbers usually hinges more on single studies or interviews, personal experiences, newspaper articles and conversations than on historic, social or economic trends that offer deeper explanations. Farrell outlines some real factors - danger, discomfort, late hours and heavy lifting - which increase the pay for certain jobs. He tells women that they can earn more by entering nontraditional fields. getAbstract.com recommends this book primarily for readers at the start of their careers or in the midst of transitions where lifestyle and financial considerations compete. Though the information about salary-based job searching is practical, if you see the world through egalitarian or feminist lenses, you may find yourself getting a little testy.

About the Author

Warren Farrell is the author of several books on men in the U.S., including Why Men Are the Way They Are and The Myth of Male Power. He has appeared on Oprah and Larry King Live.