Question 150·Hard·Command of Evidence
A sociologist claims that adopting a universal paid parental-leave policy would help narrow a country’s gender wage gap. The sociologist’s reasoning is that if both parents can afford to take leave, employers will no longer view women as uniquely likely to interrupt their careers for child-rearing, and so women’s long-term earnings will more closely match men’s.
Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the sociologist’s claim?
For support-the-claim questions, first restate the claim in your own words, identifying exactly what cause and effect are being asserted (here: adopting universal paid parental leave causes the gender wage gap to narrow). Then quickly scan the answers for the one that both (1) matches the specific policy or idea in the claim and (2) shows the predicted outcome happening, ideally with a clear comparison (before vs. after or with vs. without). Eliminate choices that only describe the mechanism, show no difference compared to places without the policy, or discuss different policies without demonstrating that the claim’s prediction actually comes true.
Hints
Clarify what the sociologist is arguing
Focus on the core claim: the sociologist says that adopting universal paid parental leave will help narrow the gender wage gap. Any supporting evidence must connect this specific policy to a change in how similar men’s and women’s earnings are.
Look for policy plus outcome
Scan the answer choices for two things together: a mention of parental-leave policies and a reported change in the gap between men’s and women’s earnings (or something clearly equivalent).
Beware of answers that only show a problem or a side effect
Some choices may describe employer expectations or other related outcomes. Ask yourself: does this choice actually show that adopting universal paid parental leave leads to a smaller gender wage gap?
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the claim and what needs to be supported
The sociologist claims that adopting universal paid parental leave will help narrow a country’s gender wage gap. To support this, we need evidence that when such a policy is adopted, women’s earnings actually become closer to men’s earnings over time.
Translate the claim into the ideal kind of evidence
The best supporting evidence would:
- Mention universal paid parental leave (or a very similar policy), and
- Show a clear connection between that policy and a reduction in the gap between men’s and women’s average earnings, ideally by comparing places with the policy to similar places without it or by comparing before vs. after the policy.
Test each option against the needed evidence
Go through the choices:
- One option says employers became less likely to assume women (rather than men) would take time away for childcare; this supports the mechanism but does not show the wage gap actually narrowed.
- One option says the wage gap narrowed after adoption, but it narrowed at about the same rate in nearby countries without the policy; that does not show the policy made the difference.
- One option says countries with universal paid parental leave saw the earnings gap shrink noticeably more than demographically similar countries without the policy; this directly connects the policy to the predicted outcome using a strong comparison.
- One option discusses paid leave offered only to mothers and notes the wage gap did not shrink; it does not support the claim about universal paid leave narrowing the wage gap.
Select the option that best supports the claim
The finding that most strongly supports the sociologist’s claim is: "In countries that implemented universal paid parental leave ten years ago, the gap between men’s and women’s average earnings shrank noticeably more than in demographically similar countries that did not adopt such policies." This directly ties the policy to a greater narrowing of the gender wage gap.