Reply #21: There's a reason men make more

[midlife_mo_Jo]

"Some of these salary differences may reflect factors other than sex, however. For example, compared with female nurses, a higher percentage of male respondents work in hospitals, are certified, and hold management positions. Men are also more likely to work in large facilities (more than 300 beds), where salaries are higher. Based on this survey's findings, all those factors increase earning potential."

Also, smaller towns generally have lower salaries than urban areas. When my uncle was in the hospital in a "small southern town," we spent a couple of weeks in the hospital. I don't remember seeing one male nurse there. At my local urban hospitals, it's not that unusual to see male nurses (where they make more.)

And do the salaries reflect only full-time positions? I would imagine that many more women nurses work parttime than male nurses. My neighbor worked only two twelve hour shifts a week in a local NICU in order to be home with her kids. How many men work parttime compared to women?

The management issue is troubling, but I would have to know more about the differences in educational levels to determine whether the inequity is due to sexism. Mostly, the difference in pay just isn't troubling when you consider that men tend to work in facilities that pay more.