It's the difference between

what men and women earn in America.

Now the stat we usually hear

is for every dollar a typical man makes,

a woman makes around 80 cents

which is also 50 Cent's name when adjusted for inflation.

But the wage gap is a bit more complicated

than that 80 cent number,

which is why I'm here to break it all down.

This is Desi Lydic Womansplains.

(lively percussive music)

The 80 cent wage gap is the average

of all the money earned by men

versus all the money earned by women.

If you adjust for race and ethnicity, it can get wider.

On the other hand,

if you adjust for employees being paid hourly,

it can get narrower.

So the exact number is really hard to pin down.

It's like splitting a check after a bachelorette dinner.

Look, I assumed those vodka bottles were complimentary,

so I shouldn't have to pay for them, Elizabeth.

(women gasping)

But experts agree the wage gap is real

and if we wanna fix it we need to understand it

so let's start with the good news.

It's actually illegal

to pay women less money for the same work.

In spite of that, women still need to fight for equal pay.

Earlier this year,

the U.S. women's soccer team filed a lawsuit

claiming that they're paid less than the male team.

Even though, as they claim in the suit,

the women's team has played more World Cup games,

generated more profit and had a larger audience.

Also, compared to the women's team,

and I cannot stress this enough,

the U.S. male team sucks, you guys.

It really sucks. (booing)

In 2018, they didn't even qualify.

Meanwhile, the women are out there medalling every time

and winning the whole damn World Cup.

Look, if they're gonna bring glory to our nation,

they shouldn't have to pawn the trophy to get paid.

So for the women's national soccer team,

equal pay is their goal.

No, that's not right.

You know what,

I'm just gonna let their all-time leading scorer say it.

Abby?

- Equal is our goal! (cheering)

- Much better.

So if that's the struggle for world-class athletes,

you know the wage gap is even more challenging

for every day women.

Let's talk about why.

The major component is what economists call

lifestyle choices, like starting a family.

Which is why the wage gap is higher for women who have kids

and lower for women who never get married.

This is what's called the Motherhood Penalty.

Which could also be the name of a J.Lo movie

where a judge sentences her

to take care of someone else's kids

all while keeping her food truck afloat

and taking care of her blind mother.

I'd totally see that, by the way.

But in reality,

the Motherhood Penalty is a long-term financial hit

a woman takes after leaving a job

or going part-time to raise her children.

And those women earn an average of 39% less than men.

As if I didn't deal with enough shit when I was pregnant.

Now cold-hearted economists might say,

what does the free market care?

Why should you get paid for taking time off?

Well sir,

(ripping) Ow!

Mother fucker!

(deeply sighs)

What does the free market care?

We are literally birthing the economy's future customers.

Who's gonna buy stocks and cars and jeans

if there are no people left?

Trees?

Trees wouldn't be caught dead in denim.

(gasps)

And remember, having children is a lifestyle choice

that men also make.

The only differences are one,

a baby doesn't squeeze its way out of their dick

and two, a man's income statistically increases

after he has a baby.

Which, I guess, should be called the Fatherhood Bonus.

Which would also be the sequel to that J.Lo movie,

starring Gerard Butler.

Which I would also see.

But enjoy less.

Fortunately, there's some ways

to offset the Motherhood Penalty and close the wage gap.

Flexible work hours, affordable child care

and a national policy of parental leave

because America's the only industrialized country

with no policy of paid family leave.

That's right, we put a man on the moon,

but we can't spare anything to put a mother in a nursery.

I'm kidding.

But they faked the moon landing.

But here's some more good news.

We don't have to find solutions on our own.

Iceland has done a lot of that work for us.

They're ranked number one in gender equality

and their paid parental leave policy is a huge reason why.

So it's equally likely that a man

or a woman will take leave during childbearing years.

Which is helping them close the wage gap much quicker.

If you also think that it's ridiculous

that we still haven't fixed this yet

go to supermajority.com/cc

to find out how you can be part of the solution.