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While on the surface this question might seem cut and dry, the very question itself represents a problem that is far bigger than it may seem.

The fact is that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the gender of the employee should not even be an issue in the first place. Unfortunately the reality is that there is an obvious bias - often unspoken but present nonetheless - towards men in the workplace.

A study by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation revealed that in the first year after obtaining a college or university degree, the average woman in the United States will earn eighty percent (80%) of a comparable male in the same position. The same study shows that ten years later, the pay gap widens even further with women only earning sixty-nine cents to every dollar earned by males.

What makes these figures even more appalling is that on average, women outperform men academically and have a higher grade point average when they graduate. While it is true that women will generally choose fields of study that have lower pay (education or psychology for example), the gender pay gap remains present though less pronounced - even in those fields.

American women aren't alone, it would seem. Female employees are earning less than males all over the world. In the year 2000, the gap was about 18.4% in the UK and over 24% in Germany. French women earned an average of 80% of what comparable males would take home.

While employers should be looking for the best employee for the job, the prevailing mindset remains that most are seeking the best man for the position and interviewing women merely as a matter of courtesy or obligation. Women are consistently paid less to do the same job even when their education and skill set is higher than their male counterparts.

As a result, the majority of women in the workforce are forced to work harder and put in more working hours in order to attain the same level of success as men in the same positions.

We know that the gender pay gap exists; that's not a question that allows for much debate. The real question we should be asking ourselves is "why?".

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