Imagine, that your boss assigns you in charge of a new promising project, and you spend a good many hours in your office after the work day has been over in order to have finished it due time.

When it comes to pay bonuses for executed work, your chief remembers your crash efforts – and rewards you with a premium. Doesn’t that scenario sound good? In accordance with a new research, such a scenario is more likely to happen with men rather than women. This research suggests a new explanation for a stark difference between male and female salaries.

Sociology professors Kim A. Weeden and Youngjoo Cha suppose, that the difference has remained unchanged till nowadays because men are more ready to spend overhours at work than women, that’s why they get compensation more often. To prove their theory, Cha and Weeden studied 30 years of results from Census Bureau and Current Population Survey of Bureau of Labor Statistics. The researchers found out, that in 1979 women had only 70% of men’s income. In 1991 the figure went up to 75%, but afterwards stayed at the same level of 76% from late 1990s until 2009.

The chart of “overworking” tendency also went upward within the same period of time. According to 1980s’ statistics, 13% of men and only 3% of women spent at work more than 50 hours. By 2000 the figures went up almost proportionally: 13% of men and 7% of women spent more than 50 hours at work place. The sociologists believe, that subsequently employees were expected to spend more time at work. However, the companies were ready to pay a compensation for it, that’s why men had a higher income.

The question then arises: why do fewer women eager to spend long hours at work like men? In researchers’ opinion, it’s because the society still believes, that women ought to undertake most of the family obligations, connected with housework and bringing up children.