I am very encouraged to see my students citing sources and examining the data.  I followed the link myself and read the article.

http://www.womensmedia.com/money/95-gender-wage-gap-are-you-paid-as-much-as-a-man-if-he-had-your-job.html

To me, there were some VERY IMPORTANT issues that were not addressed.


The "time" multiplier

Quote - That’s what happens to the money you weren’t paid: it doesn’t just add up, it multiplies over time.

Time makes this initial (small) discrepancy bigger.  Is this a true case of discrimination, or just a fact of time?

Causes or excuses

Quote - Today, many people believe that the wage gap is caused by women who drop out of the workforce to have children. But that can’t be true. 

Oh my goodness… please cite your source for this conclusion, or are we to simply take your word for it?

Quote - The gender wage gap is figured by comparing the earnings of all women who work full-time with the earnings of all men who work full-time. If a woman is not working full-time, her wages (or lack thereof) are not included in wage gap calculations.

But the time "taken off" DOES count against her.  The working person continues to go up the pay scale, while the person taking time off is "frozen in time", and begins from that point when she returns to work.  Again this discrepancy will only compound over time.  (See "time" above)

The author addresses this situation with this.

Quote - Yes, some women do drop out to raise children. But who in America can afford to do that nowadays?

Who can afford to do this she asks.  What kind of question is this?  Women do this all the time.  But according to the author, only lawyers, doctors, and MBA's can afford to do this.  She also states that these women comprise only 1% of the 44 million working women.  Please provide statistics and a source.  It can't be true with one source I've used below:

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:VkezTcDpSGcJ:www.pay-equity.org/PDFs/ProfWomen.pdf+women+at+work+statistics

(Be careful if/when you consider this data.  There are many statistics, but the study is by the AFL-CIO who has an interest in increasing union membership.  You will see that it shows everyone, male and female, how much more you can make by being a union member.)

Then and now.

In the 19th century, as we have seen, women had few rights. Today, in a divorce, the courts often award children to the mother.  Doesn't that ABSOLUTELY affect the financial bottom line for that woman for the rest of her life?  Sure it does.  We have a high divorce rate in this country.  Is this another cause of perceived wage discrimination in the workplace?

Finally, take a look at the best and worst reviews of the book Getting Even: Why Women Don't Get Paid Like Men--And What to Do About It written by the author of the article cited in the forum.  (Reviews by Gagewyn - 5 star, and William Wentworth - 1 star)  Both offer interesting insight into the book and the issue of wage discrimination.

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Even-Women-Men-About/product-reviews/0743296397