Beyond Equality of the Sexes: J. Roback

Rather than repeat the statistical debates, I propose to open some slightly different areas for discussion. The emotional inten sity of the discussion of the earnings gap between men and women is typically far out of proportion to the magnitude of the prob lem as measured by the data. What might account for this intensity of feeling? If the problem is really about earnings, or even relative earnings, why do high status women, with high educational attainment and earnings, seem to be the most dis tressed, not to say embittered, about it? Many women are far from satisfied, despite the gains in women's economic status. Some argue that this dissatisfaction arises Dr. Roback is Associate Professor ofEconomics at George Mason University. This essay is adapted from Dr. Roback's article in the Georgetown Law Journal, vol. 82, no. 1. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher, © 1993 Georgetown Law Journal & Georgetown University.

because the goal of equality has not been completely achieved. I shall argue that the problem lies in the goal of equality itself, and in the means chosen to attain it. My claim is that equalizing earnings is a flawed social goal. I do not conclude from this, however, that women ought to retire passively from public lifeand return docilely to the kitchen. I believe that improving the wellbeing of women is an important and worthy social objective that requires their full participation in every aspect of Ameri can life. What I dispute is that the equaliza tion of earnings, or of any other particular indicator, is an accurate index of women's wellbeing. In short, making women equal to men in any particular is not equivalent to making women better off. Why We Are Not Persuaded by Statistics I have a working hypothesis about why my opponents in the debates are unsympa thetic with arguments over the statistics.

They feel that I am telling them that there is no discrimination, when they know per fectly well that they have experienced it themselves. We are not having an argument about the statistics at all: we are having an argument about the significance of our ex perience. Frequently, the discussion begins to shift away from the "official" evidence at this point. People begin to make claims about relative bargaining power in the employ ment context, or about relative ability to 679 680 THE FREEMAN • DECEMBER 1994 judge and protect one's own interests, or about the presence of hidden costs assessed on overly assertive women. These claims are inherently more difficult to quantify with any accuracy, even though most people have observed the phenomena under dis cussion in their own lives. All too often, the conversation breaks down at this point, both because of our lack of professional exper tise and because of the intensity of feeling that inevitably surrounds one's personal experience.