How are we supposed to take the issue of the gender pay gap seriously when “respected” leaders are at best out of touch, lazy, or worst – lying.  

Katie Jacobs Stanton sits on the Board of Directors for TIME. I doubt she is out of touch or dumb.  Can’t answer the lying part. 

Men’s World Cup winners: $400M
Women’s World Cup winners: $30M

Equal pay for equal work. Close the gap @FIFAcom @FIFAWWC
— Katie Jacobs Stanton (@KatieS) July 7, 2019

Maybe there is another statistic that makes her case.  If so, she should have found and used that one.  Maybe her issue is that the US Men’s Team (who aren’t very good) get more money than the US Women’s Team (who are more than good).  If that is her beef, she has a point.  But it isn’t the point she made.  

The point she made is that the World Cup Men’s team winner got $400MM and the World Cup Women’s Team winner got $30MM.  I don’t know what she thinks they (men and women) should get. But, the underlying math in this case shows the women get a larger take of the gross than the men – actually 44% more.  

FIFA pays the women more of a percent of their World Cup profits than they do for the men. pic.twitter.com/brAYKrIfcp
— Brad Morris (@BradMorris83) July 7, 2019

If there is a real gender pay gap (and I’m not saying there is or there isn’t), this type of reporting/tweeting isn’t helping to solve the problem.  

If solving the problem is the goal, 1) show where there is a real gender pay gap, 2) show what the facts, and 3) propose a real solution.  

If the gender pay gap is real, my daughter needs serious people to be way more serious and way less flip.