system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
If women were truly paid $0.77 to each dollar a man makes, wouldn't firms cut costs by hiring more women or even only women? In today's competitive market, why aren't more firms doing this?
gpt
Because you're mistaking "cheaper" for "paid less". 

Starting salaries for men and women are often the same. However, the issue is usually either that the employer is less likely to recognize a female employee's contributions and accomplishments, or that a female employee is less likely to aggressively pursue a wage increase, or that the female employee will be given fewer opportunities to impress and advance (or all three). 

Women don't simply "cost less". Rather, they initially cost the same as any other employee, male employees are more likely to be deemed worth extra. An employer who pays women less is not going to hire more women for cheap labor, because the whole point of Paying less is often that they think the women are worth less as employees. 

Does that difference make sense? 

Edit: forgot to cite because on mobile. Another commenter helpfully added a citation in the comments below.