If Feminists support individual choice, what is the point of group statistics like the wage gap?

Based on the following research performed by AAUW, http://www.aauw.org/research/behindpayga... what is the point of comparing woman as a group to men as a group if the individuals choose distinctly different paths in life?





Secondly, given this research that overall, when all things are factored for the gap is only 5%, why do leading feminists tout the incomplete and misleading quote that woman ear 73% of what men do?





Additionally, if feminists don't agree with it, why are these leaders allowed to represent their movement?

If Feminists support individual choice, what is the point of group statistics like the wage gap?
Because they want to misrepresent the facts for political reasons; they want it to appear that the wage gap is entirely based on discrimination, and not a variety of factors, such as job choice, and women's greater propensity to chose a work/life balance - thereby not driving as hard and far as some male peers in career development.





What is worse, they are harming women by misinforming them, giving them the impression that they themselves, based on their own choices, have no control.





Groups such as NOW work relentlessly to convince women that none of their personal choices will make any difference since a discriminatory, male dominated, patriarchy conspires behind the curtain to keep them down and pay them $0.77 for each $1.00 their male peer makes.





Shameful.





Why are their leaders allowed to misrepresent these facts?





I think that some feminists drink the Kool-Aid and believe their false stats.





Others like to dramatize vexations and magnify slights, to make their cause seem more relevant than it really is.
Reply:How much of a choice do you have if women are considered by society and business as the primary caretakers, and are suppose to give up more than men in the same positions to care for their children, family members and the elderly? If society, families and the business world expected all *parents* and *adult children* to caretake *equally*, there would not be a huge gap between male and female wages in the same professions with the same experience and education.





As it is, businesses take advantage of the time mothers take away from work (usually 1-2 years) and offer mothers part-time work or quite a lot less money because they can get away with it, because the mothers have "less experience". More mothers and women in general are starting their own businesses because they are discriminated against by big business--they see having their own business as the only way they can make decent wages and work flexible schedules.





Corporate America is set up to make money, if they can take advantage of male workers and female single workers (or those without children) by expecting them to work night and day, and can take advantage of women who have children or elderly parents to take care of, by paying them poorly, they'll continue to do so. Men should be given the same opportunities by the business world to take care of their children and elderly parents. This will only take place if government demands it, since any type of impact on the bottom line will not be supported by big business.





If childcare and elder care were actually equally shared by the sexes in the US, a large part of the wage gap would disappear. Less women would be stuck in deadend part-time work since they had no other way to caretake their family members, and men would have equal rights caring for their children and family members as well.





Until men and women demand to be treated fairly as parents in the workplace, businesses will continue to dump on women directly, and indirectly on men with children or elderly parents, who are affected since their wives can't get the pay they deserve either.
Reply:I don't agree with statistics like that. The discriminatory employment practices of the 80's, by and large, no longer exist.