What drives the wage gap between men and women?

Finance & economics | Sex and payWhat drives the wage gap between men and women?Surprise: it’s still motherhoodShareIllustration: Raven Jiang Feb 11th 2026|WASHINGTON, DC|3 min read“The Left Hand of Darkness”, a classic science-fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, imagines a faraway planet called Winter on which all people are “ambisexual”. Each month adults undergo “kemmer”, a few days in which they develop sexual characteristics determined at random: either male or female. Anyone, in other words, might fall pregnant. After the kemmer, all sexual characteristics fade. The dualism—the protected and protector; the dominant and submissive—that “pervades human thinking”, writes Le Guin, is almost entirely absent on Winter. Already have an account?Log in Continue with a free trial Get full access to our independent journalism for free Free trial Or create a free account to unlock just this article Create account Explore moreShareReuse this contentThe Economist TodayHandpicked stories, in your inboxA daily newsletter with the best of our journalismSign upYes, I agree to receive exclusive content, offers and updates to products and services from The Economist Group. I can change these preferences at any time.More from Finance & economicsAmerica’s welfare state is more European than you think State-level policies are making up for stingy federal provisionA viral research note on AI gets its economics wrongToo much of a good thingThe AI productivity boom is not here (yet)Artificial intelligence is improving fast. Its effect on output, not so much ButtonwoodMarkets are churning furiously beneath a calm surfaceAI is prompting investors to reassess every business model under the sunDonald Trump answers a Supreme Court rebuke with new tariff threatsThe immediate economic impact will be more uncertaintyThe EU is thrashing out a more muscular set of economic policies The bloc is done playing nicely