I wrote this and posted it on my Facebook profile, and thought r/mensrights would like it. Zikoris is my girlfriend, and Celda is obviously me.

Celda: Zikoris, I've noticed that there is a big wage gap between us. Looking at our income records, I earned 75 cents for every dollar you earned, even though we both have full-time jobs – which is equal work. This is clearly discrimination.

Zikoris: Well, I have more years of work experience than you. I've been in the workforce for almost 14 years, whereas you have about three years. You chose not to work, so it makes sense you'd earn less.

Celda: That was because I felt social and family pressure to focus on academics and education, rather than work. Also, I spent five years getting a Creative Writing degree, whereas you didn't really go to university and just worked. Why should I be penalized with lower earnings because of that?

Zikoris: Well, it was still your choice. Not to mention, you only want to work cushy office jobs with convenient work hours, whereas I've busted my butt for years. I've worked graveyard shifts. I've worked in toxic pharmaceutical factories, hospital kitchens, and even farms.

Celda: Why should that matter? The fact is, we are doing equal work now.

Zikoris: I've also taken more risks. For example, I left a reliable, permanent job to pursue a short-term contract position to gain field experience so I could potentially land higher-paying jobs.

Celda: I feel uncomfortable with that level of risk. I shouldn't have to risk my economic situation to increase my earnings.

Zikoris: Well, what about the fact that so far this year, I've worked 45 hours of overtime, while you've worked 4 or 5.

Celda: A work-life balance is very important to me. The fact is, we both work full-time jobs, so my earnings should be comparable to yours.

Zikoris: So even though I have worked for longer than you, taken more risks (which could easily have backfired), and work more hours than you, you deserve to earn as much as me? Even though your industry is typically a lower-paying one than mine?

Celda: Correct.

The above conversation is real – in the sense that all the facts about us are true.

We wrote this conversation to demonstrate how ridiculous the claims are about the gender wage gap. The wage gap simply measures all people who work at least 35 hours a week, and the findings show that women make approximately 77% of what men do.

This does not account for the fact that men work more hours per week, are more likely to work overtime, are more likely to take risks, are less likely to quit work, are more likely to accept jobs with unpleasant working conditions, are more likely to be willing to relocate for work, etc.

The typical response is something like “women are forced by society to make these choices, which are not truly choices due to societal pressures and coercion.” We, Zikoris in particular, feel that this is quite insulting to women, and removes the agency of women. Women, like men, are quite capable of making their choices – and owning those choice as theirs.