> In the context of this conversation, about the financial independence of women that 81% figure seems entirely appropriate. It's fair to argue about the reasons for it, but that doesn't seem relevant to the facts relating the financial independence of women vs men.
The reasons for it are extremely relevant. If the pay gap is primarily a result of factors outside of an individual's control (e.g. sex discrimination) then it makes women less independent, but if all a woman has to do to make the same money as a man is to work the same job in the same way then she has the same level of independence, regardless of whether other women choose lower paying jobs.
> Do some women take low paying jobs because they are often the primary caregiver for children?
There are undoubtedly many different reasons, which mostly boil down to individuals making decisions to meet societal expectations even though the alternative choice(s) were equally available.
> Nevertheless, the pay gap is a fact.
The trouble is it's a misleading fact because people will assume the primary cause is employer sex discrimination when it isn't, which changes both the consequences of the pay gap and the solutions to reduce it.
> The trouble is it's a misleading fact because people will assume...
You can't blame facts for the ways in which they might be misinterpreted.
Besides, this is not a new idea. In my observation, people are now quite used to the idea that the pay gap is a result of a much broader social gender dynamic, and that employer discrimination is only one part of that picture.
The reasons for it are extremely relevant. If the pay gap is primarily a result of factors outside of an individual's control (e.g. sex discrimination) then it makes women less independent, but if all a woman has to do to make the same money as a man is to work the same job in the same way then she has the same level of independence, regardless of whether other women choose lower paying jobs.