Study says the gender pay gap starts with children’s allowances, and prepare to feel so much rage
If you’re a woman, chances are you’ve faced the ugly reality of the gender pay gap at least once in your life. But unfortunately it sounds like for many of us, it started long before we got our first part-time jobs. New research has revealed that the wage gap between men and women actually starts with children’s allowances, which means some of our parents may be held responsible for perpetuating this issue from the get-go. What the what?
According to a report from BusyKid, an app that helps children and parents coordinate their allowance as they earn, save, and spend it, this is REAL. After analyzing their database of allowances, BusyKid has discovered that on average, boys are earning twice as much as girls each week and are given bigger bonuses from their parents. Are you pissed? We’re pissed.
The average weekly allowance for boys, according to BusyKid, is $13.80 per week, while the average for girls is just $6.71. When it comes to bonus cash, boys are given about $17.01, while girls are handed almost a full two dollars less at $15.54. In what universe is this okay?
And as far as spending goes? Interestingly enough, boys are more likely to spend their money or save it for themselves, while girls are more likely to give to charity. Interesting…
— BusyKid (@BusyKid16) July 7, 2018
The study also found that boys are given more opportunities to make money around the house than girls are — doesn’t sound fair to us, either.
“It was interesting and shocking to see how much of a difference in pay there was between boys and girls in our network,” BusyKid CEO Gregg Murset said. “As a father of both boys and girls I think this is an important wakeup call for parents to be cognizant of what they are paying to make sure they are being as fair as possible. I don’t think any parent would intentionally pay differently based on gender, but clearly, it’s happening.”
Nobody wants to believe that the wage gap still exists in 2018 — or that it’s starting as early as our childhoods — but it’s reality. The only way to change this? Change our behavior. Parents should pay their sons and daughters equally, and they should offer them the same opportunities to earn. Learning how to manage money starts in childhood, and it’s also a good time to teach them about equality, too, don’t you think?
