Deepening Our Understanding of the Gender Pay Gap Through the Lens of Childhood Play
Childhood play, specifically identification and imaginative play, offers a rich and nuanced perspective into the roots of the gender pay gap. These seemingly innocuous play behaviors are ingrained in the very fiber of boys and girls and shape career paths and aspirations, thus contributing to the pay gap observed in adulthood.
Identification Play:
Identification play involves a child taking on the role or persona of someone else, often a character from a book, movie, or television show, or even a figure from their own imagination. This type of play allows children to explore different identities and roles in a safe and playful context. For example, a child might pretend to be a superhero, a doctor, or a teacher. This type of play not only fosters imagination but also helps children understand different roles, professions, and identities.
Imaginative Play:
Imaginative play, also known as symbolic play or pretend play, involves children using their imaginations to create narratives and scenarios. This might involve toys or dolls, but it can also take place entirely in the child's mind or through drawings and other forms of expression.
Boys typically immerse themselves in identification play, often taking on the persona of figures like Batman for example. This play style provides an intriguing forum for boys to explore various identities and roles, ranging from superheroes and detectives to protectors of the city. This active role-play allows boys to understand and experiment with different professions and aspirations, thus laying the groundwork for their future career interests.
Identification play with figures like Batman fosters the development of traits such as risk-taking, problem-solving, and leadership. These traits are prevalent in high-stakes, high-paying jobs in sectors like law enforcement, tradesman, firefighting, the military, CEO, engineering and leadership roles. These professions require individuals to exhibit courage, resourcefulness, and a drive to find solutions - skills that boys have been honing since their early years of identification play.
On the other hand, girls often engage in imaginative play, using toys such as Barbie dolls as conduits for their own personalities and emotions. Barbie dolls provide a canvas for girls to shape with their own narratives, allowing them to freely express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
This form of play nurtures the development of communication, empathy, and interpersonal skills in girls. They often create complex social situations for their dolls, gaining an understanding of social dynamics and emotional intelligence. This exposure to nurturing and interpersonal skills could potentially explain why women are commonly drawn to professions that require a strong emphasis on these skills, such as teaching, nursing, counseling, or social work. These roles necessitate a deep understanding of emotions, the ability to empathize, and effective communication - skills that have been cultivated through their imaginative play.
Occupational Choices: Men and women tend to cluster in different professions, a phenomenon known as occupational segregation. Often, the fields that men gravitate towards, such as engineering and technology, tend to pay more than fields that women are more likely to choose, such as teaching or social work.
Hours Worked: On average, men tend to work longer hours than women. This is particularly true for individuals who work more than 40 hours a week. These extra hours can significantly increase earnings, especially in jobs where overtime or bonus pay is available.
When it comes to agreeableness, which is characterized by attributes like kindness, empathy, and cooperation, research tends to show that women score slightly higher on average than men. This means that on a distribution chart comparing the agreeableness scores of men and women, you would expect to see a higher average score for women.
Inherent distinctions between men and women are present from birth. It may not be necessary, or even beneficial, to try to align men and women on an identical plane. Men and women each have unique roles and contributions in life. Recognizing these differences is key to appreciating the unique qualities that both genders bring to the table. Instead of minimizing these distinctions, we should embrace and celebrate them.
Source for data sets (MDPI Journal)
Comments