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When the of its highest paid actors and presenters, female employees were shocked to learn they were systematically paid less than their male colleagues. Nearly fifty years after equal pay acts were passed in the UK and the US, gender pay disparities remain entrenched. 

In , I compare civil and human rights in Middle East nations with the United States and other Western self-described "liberal societies". A common flaw in the comparative literature is the Orientalist depictions of Middle East societies as illiberal and oppressive, particularly in the ways they treat women.  

Western governments and their citizens frequently assume are unique in facing gender discrimination. But pay inequality in the US and Europe is a troubling reminder that Western liberalism has also failed women.

Recent high-profile cases remind us that, despite advancements in gender equality in education, pay disparities remain tenaciously entrenched

Let's look at some who proclaim their liberal values in comparison to countries in the Eastern and Southern hemispheres. In 2015, a female employee in the US was paid on average earned by her similarly situated male colleague. In the UK, a woman is paid only coworkers' salaries. In France, women earn than their male coworkers.

Recent high-profile cases remind us that, despite advancements in , pay disparities remain tenaciously entrenched. Despite spending $150 million in diversity efforts, to the US Department of Labor because a preliminary investigation found the giant tech company was systemically discriminating against women in pay.

In the United Kingdom, the BBC pay records revealed large differences in pay between male and female journalists. In learning they were paid less than their male colleagues for the same work, calling out the BBC for commenting that they would "'sort' the gender pay gap by 2020".

"The BBC has known about the pay disparity for years," they wrote. "We all want to go on the record to call upon you to act now."

These news reports do not reveal any surprises. Pay inequality between women and men in the West has been for decades.

Men and women go to work every day knowing that on average the female employee gets paid less than her male colleague for the same work and with the same qualifications

Such inequality lies in the normalisation of buttressed by prevalent gender stereotypes. That is, women (and minorities) are frequently treated disparately, not necessarily from malicious intent, but because such underlying practices are "normal" within that particular society. Women are expected to be the , the nurturers of society and the family, and the gender presumed to work out of choice not necessity.

As a result, men and women go to work every day knowing that on average the female employee gets paid less than her male colleague for the same work and with the same qualifications. The from the bottom to the . Indeed, as demonstrated in the BBC case, many of these women are at the pinnacle of their careers as internationally recognised experts.

Pretexts and antiquated excuses abound as to why women are paid less. Women are not as committed to their careers as men. Women "choose" to to take care of children, thereby forfeiting a career. Women's salaries are supplemental sources of income to the man's primary breadwinner role. These myths have been in multiple studies; and yet continue to contribute to the deflation of women’s salaries. 

Despite focusing on developing nations' inequitable gender practices, citizens of Western societies do not seem as troubled with gender inequality at home. So instead of perpetuating in need of saving from the outside, Western citizens should first seek change within their own countries.

is professor of law and Chancellor's Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers University Law School; and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Policy.  She is the author of

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