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'Equal pay for equal work' is a very nice concept. Who could argue against it? After all, don't women deserve the same amount of money that men get for doing the same job? Of course they do. So then, what sort of mysogynist monster would argue against equal pay for equal work?

The answer is not as obvious as it seems. You see, the proponents of equal pay legislation, don't really take all the factors into account. They constantly cite the statistic that women only make 75 cents for every dollar a man makes. Well, that is a fairly misleading statistic.

The fact of the matter is that when they compare the amount that women make to the amount that men make, they look at education. A woman with a degree should make the same as a man with a degree, according to them. They view a degree in art history the equivalent of a degree in computer science and don't take into account market demand. Nor do they take into account the difference in seniority levels - men often have far more seniority than women, because women often drop out of the work force earlier, to raise a family. They also don't take into account the fact that men put in more hours, because women often spend more time with their family, and don't want to put in 60 hours a week at the office.

The wage gap is a myth, for the most part. Once you factor in field of study, experience, and hours worked, it's pretty even - and of course, far more women than men make gratutities, which rarely get reported to the Statistics bureau. All we see is that the poor waitress is making 5$ an hour, and that lucky short order cook is making 6$ an hour. The 15$/hour she makes in tips isn't factored in.

Now, no one wants to see someone get less of a wage simply because of their gender, but the statistics being presented are misleading, and the proposed 'equality'legislation, would actually give women a big advantage over men, as opposed to making things equal.

No, things are not all rosy for women, but forcing employers to pay more for less is not the answer. The answer is:

- making sure that single parents have affordable daycare.
- making sure that women are not penalized for taking maternity leave.
- getting men to take on 50% of the child-rearing responsibility.

Until these things happen, and equal-wage proponents start recognizing the truth, women will never have equality.

Learn more about this author, Adam Greenwood.
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