Chart of the Day: There’s even a gender wage gap in babysitting

I honestly can’t decide what pisses me off more–the fact that less than 3 percent of babysitters are men or that the few who are earn more than their female counterparts. Via The Atlantic:

As the Priceonomics blog, which compiled the data, points out, it’s pretty amazing that male babysitters out-earn women considering how much cultural bias there is against them. As one mom in a parenting forum said, “I personally would have a hard time hiring a male babysitter for obvious reasons.” Right, because obviously guys couldn’t possibly be good caretakers. It’s not like they’re equally likely to have grown up with younger siblings or anything. And thank god, we don’t let guys become dads responsible for parenting their own children…Oh wait. And yet! “Even in an industry like babysitting where men are likely discriminated against, they still try to charge more for their services!”

And it’s not just babysitting — gender wage gaps persist in most traditionally feminized jobs. Men who enter these industries — which they are increasingly doing these days — tend to make more money and be promoted at faster rates. A study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that in the female-dominated worlds of administrative assistants, teachers, and nurses, women make about 10 percent less than their male colleagues.

As a long-time babysitter, Maya is clearly taking this personally.