Kos story in which the comment below appeared: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Comment I was replying to: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Yes, it is touchy, for two reasons (maybe more). For one thing, the historic approach to the pay gap has often been to (on one hand) bend reality into a pretzel in order to find a justifiable, "good" reason for the pay gap that minimizes or ignores sexism, while (on the other hand) attributing negative motives and traits to any female protest of sexism in the workplace.
Second, many people look at male vs. female behavior in the workplace, and wherever it differs, regardless of what the difference is, people say, "See, women are doing it wrong." It doesn't matter to these people if objectively women's way of doing it in this case is a better way to do life, or represents long-term thinking that will bring superior benefits to society in the long run, or is more effective in getting job tasks done, or brings a better economic return to the company -- the only thing that matters is that it's different from the way men do it, and that provides them with a shortcut to ignoring the role of sexism in pay.
These two approaches, which we have seen on a large scale over a long period of time, cast an unfortunate pall of suspicion over "but what is the behavior that leads to more pay?" questions. Being a woman is still a professional pre-existing condition in many, many workplaces in determining pay. As a mother who also works for pay, I know immediately when this question is raised that I will most likely be found wanting in whatever the conclusion may be; not because I'm doing it wrong, but because I may not do it exactly the way a man does it. That right there is solid grounds for paying me less. In the real world, that's how it often works.
I would like to see studies about what professional behaviors are most successful in getting tasks done, in contributing to positive and productive workplace relationships, in contributing economically to the company, and in successfully integrating work and life so that neither one takes over the other. That would be a healthy company. But so far, the studies I see are pretty much, "Where do men and women differ? Well, there's your answer to the pay gap." That approach is simplistic and reflects a determination to ignore what real-life sexism does contribute.
Looking for a study that actually answers these questions, in the long term as well as in the short term.