In two ways, the failure of HB 956 by state Rep. Julie Stokes proved helpful: it sidelined a bill whose supporters left open a door cracked for it to do what its sponsor did not want, and it exposed those who wanted that which its sponsor did not for the hypocrites that they are.
The bill would have read into
state law a portion of the federal Equal Pay Act. It attempted to prevent pay discrimination
on the basis of sex for equal work performed in a job, but a flaw
in its drafting that neglected a passage of the federal law instead opened
it up, at least in some cases, to make illegal discrimination between
individuals with similar work performed. That concept, comparable worth, was
behind other bills introduced this session, which were built upon a fiction.
Those other bills were argued
necessary because, when taking the average earnings of Louisiana females and
comparing them to males in all jobs, taking nothing else into consideration, women
earned about two-thirds of what men did. But this exercise is entirely laughably
apples to oranges, because it does not take into account a number of other
extenuating factors, such as lifestyle preferences, occupational choices, and
educational attainment. In fact, when looking at national data, when accounting
for differentials caused by these factors, the difference, when comparing men
to women actually in jobs requiring the same work and in the same circumstances,
goes to statistical insignificance. The presumed pay gap is a myth.