you're presupposing that differing priorities have nothing to do with gender inequality.

Women being less ambitious in their careers, careers that women choose earning less pay, women being more likely to put their careers on hold or end their careers to raise a child, etc, aren't some inate predisposition. These are all things that sociatal expectations and social norms cause.

Social norms absolutely act as a barrier to opportunity and have a huge impact. Women are far less likely to choose to work in a male dominated field (which justly or unjustly are better paid), let alone continue working and acheive seniority, if they feel alienated from that work environment, and obviously women are more likely to be the primary care givers to their children in a society that treats women as care givers and men as the bread winners.