Equal Pay for Equal Work

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"Equal pay for equal work' is this fair?” There is not, and can never be, any logical argument against equality of payment for the same work as between men and women. It is true that men do certain jobs better than women, or quicker, and the reverse holds true about other jobs. But is 'equal work' which is under consideration and payment for any type of work, performed by anybody, is always the least that the employer can get away with. In other words, pay rates are fixed by two factors; firstly the supply of labor available for a particular job. Scarce labor for skilled jobs tends to push up wages, coupled with the fact that skilled workers will revert to laboring jobs unless they are paid extra for the use of their skill. Secondly, the government and the trade unions have a hand in rate-fixing, as well as the employer. If the cost of living rises, the unions will call a strike for more pay, and they will always, in a free economy, press for not only a realistic wage level, but also a share in the profits of the firm, which are otherwise paid to the government in the form of taxation, to the shareholders as dividends, or reinvested back into the firm for development. The fact that in many countries, women are paid a lower rate for doing the same job merely indicates that, on the whole, most women are not union minded. They are relatively unorganized, because most of them are not the primary bread winner. Moreover, they are available in large numbers for a short-term employment and for most married women at any rate; their, 'heart' isn't in the prospect of a life time's employment. And this raises the argument often advanced against equal pay for women. Single women do not need the same pay as married men. Yet, a married woman's pay is considered additional, while the married man's is basic to the family. A bachelor will probably get married any way and acquire
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