Today, women in the United States are paid 22% less than men on average. Twenty years ago, that number looked about the same, despite women’s many advancements in education and the workforce.

The gender pay gap is stark, stubborn and often misunderstood in its intricacies.

On the show today, Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, unpacks why the gender pay gap hasn’t really budged in the last two decades, what people get wrong about it and what needs to change to finally close it.

In the News Fix: One Republican lawmaker is stalling military promotions to keep service members from getting better access to abortion care. His colleagues are not pleased. And, the Senate has started hearings on the failures of SVB and Signature Bank. We’ll discuss the mind-blowing speed of the banks’ meltdowns and the group chat behind it all.

Later, one listener tells us about a restaurant subscription they love. And in the spirit of cherry blossom season, this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from Diana Parsell, author of “Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees.”

Here’s everything we talked about today:

What have you been wrong about lately? We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question! Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.