What do people think of Gap years?

Is it useful to think of the gender pay gap issue in comparison to differences in what people of different races earn?

• Why does the gender pay gap issue get a lot of press (on both sides)? Is there a "race pay gap?" While we're at it, is there a "sexual orientation pay gap"? A "religion pay gap"?

• Answer:

  Being a middle-aged, white, male, for me to comment on a race pay gap would be ludicrous. As to a gender-based pay gap, it certainly exists. What I was told lately, though, is that women who have been in the workforce for a short time do not have quite the gap as older workers who've employed for ten-fifteen years or more. The survey (which I have not seen, so forgive me for not using first-hand data - my friend is an HR manager, so I trust him) shows that, over time, the gap has declined. Younger women are more attuned and knowledgeable, so hiring companies know parity is more important to them. The problem with older workers is that your raises generally are set across all workers. If you came in $1 an hour less than a male, you'll likely stay behind. Changing jobs might resolve some of the gap but, since employers sometimes know what you made before, they're not going to work too hard to rectify it unless you have a skill they absolutely must have. As to a religion gap, I've never heard of it in the U.S.