One simple solution to the gender pay gap is that if women don't like how much they're being paid by their employers, they should simply quit their jobs and work for themselves. That makes me laugh out loud. Research shows that in 2016 self-employed men earned an average of £363 per week, while their female counterparts earned a third less at £243.
The reality is that women in self-employment run into exactly the same problems that those working for someone else's business do. First, numerous self-employed women are in sectors which are traditionally lower paid, like caring and cleaning professions. Then, there is the belief that women tend to ask for less than men, and so they are simply paid less. A 2016 academic study showed that in employment both men and women would treat a female asking for a pay rise differently from a male. Although they might get the raise, the company would tend to hold it against them and see them as difficult or demanding. This instinctive reaction teaches women that they can ask for money but it's going to be a difficult experience and they're going to be resented for it.
For me, however, the greatest reason for the pay gap in self-employment is the motivation behind striking out on your own. For men, the most common reason is because they want to be their own boss, for women it's because they want a better work-life balance. Women have a level of caring responsibilities that traditional employment doesn't allow them to meet. There's also the reality that childcare is expensive, and support for this doesn't kick in for a few years. Women looking at sacrificing their entire salary simply to pay someone else to look after their child might think they're better off working for themselves.
We're only going to see more of this as caring responsibilities grow. We know that women are hit by a double-bind （双重约束）of children and ageing parents, that it's more difficult for them to re-enter the workplace after taking time out for children, and that they're more likely to prioritize flexibility over money.
You might say that these are choices that women make, and that if they choose to make them then they have to accept they earn less. But what would happen if they didn't make these choices? If no one looked after their children or ageing parents?
Self-employed women are doing the same juggling （同时做多件事情的）act their employed peers are doing, and they're being punished for it in the same way. The gender pay gap doesn't disappear because you work for yourself-it only widens.
6. What does the author think of the proposed solution to the gender pay gap?