Editing Openai/691a22f5-23a8-8001-ad8d-f6165e12c554 (section)

=== ✅ 1. Same Role, Same Employer, Same Qualifications → Pay Is Usually Similar ===

Most large U.S. companies have standardized pay bands.
In these situations, when the job title, level, hours, and experience match, the gender pay difference is very small.

But there are still small gaps due to things like:
* Men negotiating more aggressively for salary
* Men being more likely to ask for raises or promotions
* Differences in starting salary offers
* Performance evaluations sometimes showing unconscious bias

These effects can create a small but real gap even within the same role.

Studies suggest the “controlled pay gap” (comparing same job/same factors) is around:
👉 $0.98 per $1.00
So women earn roughly 2% less than men when everything else is equal.