Companies can't use 'good culture' to explain away low pay, but it does explain some of the gender pay gap

Researchers found that non-wage benefits, like flexible hours or company culture, do not make up for lower pay when comparing different companies. But these benefits do help explain why women often earn less than men.

Companies often argue that their great perks balance out lower salaries. This paper shows that argument doesn't hold up when comparing pay across different firms. It also gives a new, measurable reason for the gender wage gap, which means efforts to close that gap might need to look beyond just salaries.