Along with an academic from the University of London, I was interviewed by Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live recently. Interviewees aren't generally told how long they'll be given to speak, which is frustrating, as is giving a contribution over the phone. In the event we had a little over five minutes to cover issues which would have merited at least an hour-long discussion, and I was given barely a minute to make my contribution. Nicky Campbell's introduction of the piece included this:
'More men should be prepared to work part-time. That's the finding of a new report from the University of London's Institute of Education, which argues that women will continue to be under-represented and underpaid unless more of their male colleagues are willing to work fewer hours. Dr Tom Schuller led the research...'
Dr Schuller's predictably feminist narrative included this gem:
'The gender pay gap is very big, and it shows no sign of closing.'
Can Dr Schuller really not know that the gender pay gap is 100% attributable to the choices men and women freely make with respect to the world of work -- the lines of work they choose, the effort they put into climbing the career ladder, their willingness to work unsocial hours etc.? It seems almost inconceivable, even for a leftie academic. I was determined to challenge him strongly on this issue but wasn't given the opportunity to do so. You do what you can in the limited time available.
