One simple solution to the gender pay gap is that if women don't

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 fbr 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 fbr 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 fbr 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 fbr 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 fbr it in the same way. The gender pay gap doesn't disappear because you work fbr yourself-it only widens.
7. What can we learn from paragraph 2?
A、It is hard fbr women to get a pay rise.
B、Women lay little emphasis on money.
C、It is rare to see men in caring professions.
D、Males earn more than females in cleaning profession.
【正确答案】：A
【题目解析】：文章第二段提到许多自雇女性从事的行业传统上工资较低，比如护理和清洁行业。此外，还有一种观点认为，女性往往比男性要求更少，因此她们的薪酬也更低。2016年的一项学术研究表明，在就业方面，男性和女性都会以不同于男性的方式对待要求加薪的女性。虽然他们可能会得到加薪，但公司往往会对他们怀恨在心，认为他们很难相处或要求太高。这种本能反应告诉女性，她们可以开口要钱，但这将是一次艰难的经历，她们会因此而被憎恨。选项A 女性很难得到加薪，符合文意；选项B 女人不重视金钱，该说法错误；选项C 从事护理职业的男性很少见，文章中没有提到；选项D 在清洁行业，男性比女性挣得多，文章中没有提到；只有选项A符合文意，故选A。