Today is Equal Pay Day throughout America. Perhaps it's time to rechristen it Unequal Pay Day until men and women are paid the same dough for the same work.

The gender pay gap exists — there's really no doubt about it. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, women doing the same job as men earn 78 cents for the guy's dollar bill.

The argument arises over why the gap exists. Catherine Hill, vice president for research at the American Association of University Women, says there are clear factors that have historically held back women's pay, such as the choice of college major, the choice of a job, the choice about how many hours to work, the choice about who will provide the bulk of family care.

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.