A man once argued the wage gap doesn’t matter because ‘men buy drinks for women’ — her one calculation ended the conversation
A casual conversation about dating and money took an awkward turn when comedian and content creator Yvette Segan met a man who had a very different view of the wage gap. He boldly told her that the difference in pay did not matter because men buy drinks for women, treating those expenses as a way to balance the gap. Segan did not agree with the idea, and one quick calculation later made it difficult for him to defend his point. The woman shared the incident on Instagram on August 10, 2026, under her handle @yvettesegan.
The man was confident about his argument and mentioned that he was an economics major, which made Segan look at the claim more closely. She then used a realistic example of a person earning $100,000 a year and a 30% wage gap. She considered an $18 cocktail and calculated how many drinks would be needed to cover that difference. Her answer was about 32 drinks every weekend, or around four and a half drinks each day. The simple math showed how unrealistic the man's argument sounded. The comedian continued the story with humor, explaining that she could not drink enough to make the comparison work.
"I can have two drinks before getting seriously drunk," she said, pointing out how quickly the idea became absurd. She also joked about the health problems that could come from trying to use cocktails to balance a yearly income difference. Her example made the point that buying drinks cannot reasonably replace a difference in annual pay. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also shows a clear difference in earnings. In 2025, full-time women had median weekly earnings of $1,089, while men had $1,326. This means women earned 82.1% of men's earnings.
There are many cases that show gender discrimination at work is still a real issue. In another incident, a married couple working in separate teams faced an unexpected result when promotions were announced. Both had strong work records and were considered ready for career growth. The woman had managed several major clients, so coworkers expected her to move up. Instead, her husband received the promotion while she was passed over. The reason given was linked to the time she had taken away from work after becoming a mother.
The decision raised concerns about how childcare responsibilities can affect women's careers. Her maternity and childcare leave were considered during the promotion process, while male employees did not have the same childcare leave option. This created questions about whether workplace rules can be fair when family responsibilities are not shared equally. The discussion also highlighted the pressure mothers face after having children. One employee commented, "Birthing a child is 'our only' purpose in life, but caring for it is 'only our' purpose in life."
For more interesting stories, follow @yvettesegan on Instagram.