“When liberals campaign saying they favor equal pay for equal work, somebody really should ask them, if elected, what exactly do they propose to do about this alleged problem. Since there is already a law on the subject, it’s not as if Congress needs to pass a law to deal with this. It’s already been done, years ago.”
Some liberals that have answered that question. Essentially, they would create a government system that would determine what occupations are equal to others. Nurses versus firefighters, for example. The criteria would be things that bureaucrats enjoy, like credentials, etc. IOW, if two jobs both required a four year degree, then they could be considered equal. School teachers would be considered the equivalent of engineers and you would have to pay them the same wages. There usually is a seniority component as well.
The simple way to imagine this is to consider how the government sets pay scales. Pay grades 1-15. Pay steps 1-10. If you have a bachelors degree, you’re a pay grade 12. Four years experience, you’re a pay step 3. No bonuses for performance and no consideration of whether you’re a physicist or a sociology major.
If bureaucrats get into these areas, then there will never be any solution that would make people satisfied.
How do you do this comparison for college graduates who become teachers vs. those who become petroleum engineers?
How do you do this comparison for secretaries vs. truck drivers?
How do you compare child care workers with unskilled laborers, or random hired help, or “gophers” on a construction job?
How do you address that the vast majority of skilled construction workers on those construction sites are men? While women can get training and apply for such jobs, it appears that very few women want to be plumbers or electricians, or pipefitters, or hang drywall or drive a bulldozer.
If we are going down this road, then liberals will never be happy because they will never find a comparison for which they will be satisfied that women are paid properly.