The American Association of University Women  has declared April 22 as Equal Pay Day. They have determined that there is a gender based disparity in pay. Of course, they can’t really be considered an unbiased source for researching this topic. Even so, rather than declare a national day of handwringing and lamenting, why not simply report any occurrence? Equal pay for equal work is required by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972. It’s enforced by the EEO Commission.

The answer is because it isn’t true. This tired old argument has never adequately accounted for experience, training, career fields, commitment, seniority, etc. But just suppose – and this requires a huge leap of imagination – that it was actually true. Women with the exact same credentials could consistently be paid less than men. They’d be paid so much less, in fact, that they’d have to work 7 days a week (versus 5 for men) until April 22 of the following year to earn the same money. If this were true, what business would ever hire a man?