<P> Economists Blau and Kahn and Wood et al. separately argue that "free choice" factors, while significant, have been shown in studies to leave large portions of the gender earnings gap unexplained . </P> <P> Research suggests that gender stereotypes may be the driving force behind occupational segregation because they influence men and women's educational and career decisions . </P> <P> Studies by Michael Conway et al., David Wagner and Joseph Berger, John Williams and Deborah Best, and Susan Fiske et al. found widely shared cultural beliefs that men are more socially valued and more competent than women at most things, as well as specific assumptions that men are better at some particular tasks (e.g., math, mechanical tasks) while women are better at others (e.g., nurturing tasks). Shelley Correll, Michael Lovaglia, Margaret Shih et al., and Claude Steele show that these gender status beliefs affect the assessments people make of their own competence at career - relevant tasks . Correll found that specific stereotypes (e.g., women have lower mathematical ability) affect women's and men's perceptions of their abilities (e.g., in math and science) such that men assess their own task ability higher than women performing at the same level . These "biased self - assessments" shape men and women's educational and career decisions . </P> <P> Similarly, the OECD states that women's labour market behaviour "is influenced by learned cultural and social values that may be thought to discriminate against women (and sometimes against men) by stereotyping certain work and life styles as' male' or' female' ." Further, the OECD argues that women's educational choices "may be dictated, at least in part, by their expectations that (certain) types of employment opportunities are not available to them, as well as by gender stereotypes that are prevalent in society ." </P>

What is the pay gap in the us