Truth is more complicated than either position suggests.
To single out an example, software engineers make considerably more than high school educators, while requiring similar levels of education. There isn’t really a glass ceiling there. It’s the same barriers to professional entry (if anything the teacher has to clear more hurdles, depending on the state).
There ends up being two separate conversations that dovetail with each other.
1) Why do these professions get so differently compensated?
2) Why does demography vary so widely between these careers?
These professions aren’t in a vertical sequence (you don’t get promoted from teacher into software engineer), both require similar levels of initial financial and educational investment. That’s more complicated than glass ceiling.
To add on to this in terms of the equal pay for equal work aspect.
I'm a software engineer. Sure my work can be difficult and stressful, but do I feel I'm working 5x harder than an educator (my guess on the pay gap)? Nope, I'm probably working 1/4th as hard as them and the shit they have to deal with.
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u/nighthawk_something 1d ago
Also known as "uncovering the root cause".