Today, April 14th, 2015, is National Equal Pay Day, according to social justice creatures great and small. They have chosen this day as their way to symbolize how far women would have to work into this year to earn the same as men from last year.
Aside from the inanity of calling it “Equal Pay Day,” since the name falsely implies that women are paid exactly the same as men for one perfect day, the notion of narrowing pay gaps in an overall, broad (that’s right, I said broad) fashion because equality! is ridiculous, as well.
The US Department of Labor–a government entity that should not insert itself into any political discussion–inserted itself into the equal pay discussion a few days ago. It posted the following video that dredged up a PSA clip from a very different time, starring a fictional character in a line of work that normally doesn’t pay a dime to men–let alone women–and applied it to the here and now.
In attempting to shame businesses, men, white men, society, and the unjust universe itself by doing things such as posting simpleminded propaganda on social media, this administration makes itself look juvenile and ignorant of the abundant amount of existing equal pay laws and regulations we already have. Its constant refrain is that too much governance is never enough because we Americans can never do anything right on our own.
Most people who give the topic of equal pay more than a cursory thought and manage to hold their tempers in check realize that the pay gap can be attributed to a pair of main, simple reasons.
In general, the reasons women as a whole make less than men are due to:
a) women as a whole choosing careers that pay less than men, and
b) women as a whole spending less time working than men do.
Yes. It is that simple.
If those two reasons offend you, then you consider facts sexist.
To find a clear indication that women do not choose careers that pay the same as men, all one has to do is look up the most common occupations chosen by women. Females generally pursue fields that are not as physical, not as technical, and entail less responsibility than fields that men choose.
Before you cry out, “But women who work the same jobs as men still get paid less!” you have to heed the second point that women work less time than men do. This should be common, accepted knowledge by now. Women take time off when they become mothers. Many even quit their jobs to focus on being moms. How does one justify forcing employers pay the same wages to those who work less than others?
By focusing on handpicked talking points that do not acknowledge the entire scope of a perceived problem, you’re simply someone with a hammer being selective about which nails to pound. Your construction project will topple. Until one learns to accept the truth, there is nothing anyone can do for that person to overcome her or his propensity for misguided outrage.
