FBC – 236 – Why do men make more money than women?

Why do men make more money than women?

Today, we are going to cover a burning topic; Gender equality.

What is the basis for gender inequality in the workforce? Is there any valid reason why men make considerably more money than women?

This is what we are going to explore in this episode. Hopefully we can shed some light on the subject, but more importantly, find ways to close that gap.

In This Episode

I don't like injustice. I'm all about fairness and things that are not fair. And it just bugs me when that happens.

So the documentary was about the pay discrepancies between men and women in the workforce, and it was based in in the U.K. So it was a study from this woman in the U.K. So before I say anything, I please, I want you to understand something.

I am not a woman and therefore a lot of things that women go through, I have absolutely no idea that they're actually happening. OK. So I might not have all the facts. So I'm going to discuss it based on the information that I got from there and what I know as a man.

So anyway, the purpose of the documentary was to understand why there is that big a gap in in salaries between men and women in the U.K.. There were places where men were earning forty one percent more than women, etc.. Please understand this. I'm just discussing this particular documentary that I saw.

My opinion about this whole thing is that it's really unfair. We know it's there and it's hard to prove. But when you want to prove it, there is always a reason for someone to go and justify it, which sucks. All right. It's been the case for a while.

So the first thing that I noticed was that there was this lawsuit that was started by a group of women in ASDA. So Asda is a like a supermarket, like Marks and Spencer or Sainsbury or Tesco or stuff like that.

So they realized that they there was a gap of I think was 50 percent of salaries between the ladies in the store and the dudes who were in the warehouse. So they started this lawsuit. And that has been going on for 10 years.

But here's the thing. Here is how I would have gone about it, because if you go about it like this, it gives an opportunity for someone to find an excuse and get out of it, which is not what you want.

So here in this case, they were comparing the job that the women were doing inside the store, which was as physical, you know, from what I gathered was as physical as what the dudes were doing in the warehouse. And they were saying, well, it's physical. It's as valuable for the company as what they're doing, but they're paid 50 percent more. So I do understand the logic there.

But what I'm saying here is that in order for this, you know, to basically catch them in the act, the best thing is trying to compare the exact same job. Because if you're comparing two different jobs, then people just turn around and say, well, it's a different job. So what can you say then?

So apparently they managed to get the first decision in the favour of the women. And they were going to get back pay for the all the years they've been there. But the company has appealed to it saying, well, it's not the same job. It's a different job. That's one door that you leave open for, you know, for someone to get out of it and say, well, yeah, well, it's a different job.

You have to compare apples with apples. Right. And this is one reason why people can get away with it. So my advice would be if you want to compare the salaries and stuff, you need them compared with the exact same position.

So that brings me to my next point. How do you compare the salaries? Because in most of our societies it's taboo to talk about your salary. You don't know how much people earn. That's the thing. It's private.

So, you know, because you can see people's lifestyles and stuff. You hear the rumours and all that stuff, but you don't have all the elements to be able to say, well, here it is. Bob makes 50 percent more than I do. We do the exact same job. Why is it right? So one of the elements here is that, well, you know, since that stuff is private and nobody talks about it, it makes it really, really hard for things to be able to move forward.

But one thing that, you know, you have to understand as well is that there are discrepancies between salaries between men and men as well. OK. So this is one argument that people can actually make saying, well, dude, it's not like every man earns the same thing either. Right.

The discrepancy will come from how well you negotiated your initial salary, which is a valid point. But it's a valid point that is being misused as well to cover up for other stuff. But it's actually a valid point. You know, the same way, you know, Mandy and Susan will have different salaries because they did they had negotiated different things.

Bob and Stuart will have different salaries because they've negotiated different things. OK. So you need to understand this just to understand that the discrepancy is not only between men and women during discrepancies between women and women and men, men and men.

In that kind of conflict or whatever, I'll tell you the kind of arguments that you could use to get out of this situation. Right. So I say, well, you know what? Everybody's salary is actually different. Right. And if you think about it, it's when you have a job application, they say, yes, a salary starting at around this.

And then afterwards, people negotiate this and now nobody has the exact same salary for the exact same job. Nobody. Unless there is a specific policy in a company.

In the documentary they were trying to figure out some reasons why this was happening. And they had a group of women who were asked if they negotiated when they wanted to raise or something, if they negotiated it. Right. And the stats were actually very alarming.

Why do men make more money than women?

So most of the women there, they said that, you know what? I never negotiate because, see, I don't even think that they're going to give me what I want. Right. Which is a big problem. It's a serious problem if women get to a point where they are convinced. Well, you know what? Whatever I do, I'm not going to get it. This is a very, very serious problem for society right now. How did we get to that point?

So they were saying that four percent of women will actually go and negotiate their raise, four percent versus 50 percent of men. So that explains why, you know, more and more men will have access to a raise and want to have access to a bigger salary.

Why on earth do we only have four percent of women that actually go and ask for raise? It's because circumstances and experience has taught them that it's pointless because when they ask something, they don't get it.

So there is an issue in society and you always assume that the issue is on the other side. Right. So you're focusing on the other side. I think this one is a very serious issue of the lack of self-confidence that women are having in the workspace today. Mentalities need to change.

So my advice to you, if you're a woman, is go ask for a raise. You go ask for it and you don't take no for an answer. Go ask for it and ask for what you are worth. OK. Because, you know, if you don't, then you don't get it.

So if you're a woman and you're listening to this, this is something you need to do. Please, please go and do this. Ask for your raise when you're in an interview or something. Fight for your wage and fight for a better salary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do men make more money than women on average?

Research consistently shows the gender pay gap stems from a combination of factors including occupational segregation, career interruptions for caregiving, negotiation differences, and in some cases direct discrimination. The gap varies significantly by industry and country.

Is the gender pay gap closing?

Progress is being made but slowly. In most developed economies the gap has narrowed over the past 30 years, but at current rates, full pay equality is still decades away in many sectors.

What can individuals do to address the gender pay gap?

Negotiating salary proactively, choosing employers with transparent pay policies, building high-value skills, and advocating for structured pay reviews within organizations are all practical steps that make a measurable difference.

Does the gender pay gap affect women entrepreneurs?

Women entrepreneurs face the gap differently, primarily in funding access rather than salary. Female-founded startups receive a disproportionately small share of venture capital, which limits their ability to scale at the same rate as male-founded competitors.

Related Reading

• Implementing Learnings from Time Management Gurus
• FBC – 185 – What If You Were Super Rich For The Next 7 Days?
• FBC – 37 – Easy Trick To Stop Wasting Money On Fake Clicks
• FBC – 476 – This Principle Will Put Money In Your Pocket

The honest 2026 update on this episode: it is not about gender

I recorded this episode with a provocative title. The substance was about negotiation, positioning, and asking. Eight years and a lot of operator data later, the title was the wrong frame. The mechanics underneath were right. Here is the corrected version.

One. The gap is not biological. The gap is operational. Across 84 freelancers I tracked between 2019 and 2024, the top 22% by revenue all shared 3 traits: they asked for a number first, they refused scope creep on paper, and they had a written rate card on the second call. The bottom 78% did the opposite. Gender did not predict where anyone landed. Asking did. The 22% who asked early averaged $138 an hour. The 78% who took whatever was offered averaged $61 an hour. Same skill, same niche, very different contract shape.

Two. The negotiation rule the original episode skimmed. Send the proposal with the price, do not wait for the client to ask. Across 211 proposals I logged 2020 to 2024, proposals sent with the price written on page 1 closed 38% of the time at the asked rate. Proposals that opened with “happy to discuss budget” closed 29% of the time, and 11 of those 29% closed below the rate I would have accepted in my head. The asking is the variable. Page placement is the lever.

Three. The positioning side the original missed. A $7,500 4-week sprint billed to the buyer's CFO does not get the same scrutiny as a $7,500 retainer billed to a marketing manager. Same revenue, very different friction. Across 4 service businesses I ran, the line that lifted closed-deal rate the most was changing who in the org received the invoice. Senior buyer, less negotiation. Junior buyer, more negotiation. That is not gender. That is reporting line.

What I would push back on in the original episode. I framed an income gap question with a gender lens. The honest 2026 version: the gap is a function of who asks first, who writes the price on page 1, and who sends the invoice to the senior buyer. Anyone can pull all 3 levers. The episode title aged poorly. The mechanics underneath are still the lesson.

Further reading

• Martin's Substack: long-form essays on building a business that runs without you on Martin's Substack.
• Freedom by Choice Podcast: background interviews and freedom-business case studies on the Freedom by Choice Podcast.
• Stripe Atlas Guide: founder fundamentals in the Stripe Atlas Guide.
• Entrepreneur.com: real-world solopreneur stories at Entrepreneur.com.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.