''Pay Equity Day'' or ''Quality of Life Day''? World-Renowned Gender Issues Expert Delivers Hard News about the Differences in the Way Women and Men Approach Work in a New Book from AMACOM

Business Wire, April 15, 2005

NEW YORK -- April 19 is Pay Equity Day. Women, led this year by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Business and Professional Women (BPW), contend they "work for 'free'" until April 19th (and then they start working to pay taxes). Dr. Warren Farrell who formerly served on the Board of the National Organization for Women in New York City questions the validity of this contention. In his new book, WHY MEN EARN MORE: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap-- and What Women Can Do About It (AMACOM, 2005), he reveals there are three startling truths behind the pay gap.

The three startling truths?

First, men do not earn more than women for the same work, but for different work. Dr. Farrell identifies twenty-five such differences (e.g., willingness to take the most hazardous jobs, and work in more technical fields such as engineering; do more traveling, moving, and so on).

Second, the most startling truth: women now earn more than men--for the same work. Not at the same job title--male doctors, lawyers, and accountants all earn more than women. Why? Though their titles are the same, they do not work at their jobs the same way--the men are more likely to work more hours, be in private practice, or work for big private firms (vs. HMOs or nonprofits). In the case of physicians and surgeons, the men are more likely to be the surgeons, requiring more specialization, and dealing with the trauma of people dying under their knife, as well as working uncontrolled hours (cardiac surgeon); the women are more likely to avoid surgery, to prefer working with little blood, with healthier people, during predictable and normal work hours (psychiatrist or pediatrician).

Third, Dr. Farrell, in the spirit of "what women can do about it," startles women with 80 fields in which women now earn more than men--despite women's different work patterns. He tells women how much each of the twenty-five ways to higher pay are worth, and what the lifestyle trade-offs are. For example, people who work 44 hours a week make almost twice as much as those who work 34 hours per week?

High pay, as it turns out, is about trade-offs. Women's choices balance income with a desire for fulfillment, safety, potential for personal growth, flexibility, fewer hours per week, and proximity-to-home. These lifestyle advantages lead to more people competing for these jobs and thus lower pay. However, Dr. Farrell reveals many "have it all" professions. (Did you know pharmacists earn more than doctors?)

Dr. Farrell addresses this issue on April 19th, Pay Equity Day, as the featured speaker of the Independent Women's Forum in Washington. His message for the IWF? "Opportunities for women--the 25 ways to higher pay is a roadmap for women to either earn more or decide what is right for them at any given moment in their lives" says Carrie Lukas, the IWF organizer of the April 19th presentation.

Dr. Warren Farrell is author of the recently published book WHY MEN EARN MORE: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap--and What Women Can Do About It (AMACOM, 2005). The Financial Times chose Dr. Farrell as one of the world's top 100 thought leaders. He has appeared on more than 1,000 TV shows, from Oprah to Larry King, discussing his international best-selling books, such as his Why Men Are The Way They Are and The Myth of Male Power. He has taught in five disciplines, from women's studies to the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego. He is the only man in the US ever elected three times to the Board of Directors of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in New York City. Warren lives with his wife and two teenage daughters in Carlsbad, California.