Milton Friedman - Case Against Equal Pay for Equal Work

Professor Friedman explains how support for "equal pay for equal work" helps promote sexism. http://www.LibertyPen.com

Source: Milton Friedman Speaks
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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• economics
• feminism
• equality
• justice
• liberty
• freedom
• women
• rights
• feminist
• labor
• wages
• competitive

[dovahkiin516]

@jontycampbell In addition, just because you are a man w/o qualified experience and would be willing to undercut is not my point. My point is taking two equally qualified experienced people, which one is a man and the other is a woman. They both have the same amount of schooling. Now, if the company hires both at different rates for the same job that is free market discrimination. Your lack of experience has nothing to do with this argument.

[dovahkiin516]

@jontycampbell Technically, according to a study under government contract that did a study to understand the pay gap between men and women found that discrimination is not really the issue. However, given that Friedman accepts the premise of discrimination, and argues for free market to solve it we can debate the ever small occurrence of pay discrimination.

[jontycampbell]

@dovahkiin516 I meant *I* would offer a lower rate to the one hiring. I really don't think most savvy employers discriminate on the basis of gender *per se*, they do so on economic future-proofing, id est, a woman in her early 20's carries the "risk", as it were, of bearing children, and the employer may lose a good employee for a year. Though I'd imagine with contract workers that is less of an issue today. The video is an available set of university Economics lectures taped in 1978 I gather.

[jontycampbell]

@dovahkiin516 I'm a man, and I'd be willing to undercut. I have to bear in mind the other candidates will be better qualified/experienced than me, so I need to make concessions.

[dovahkiin516]

@HugsMTG Indeed, and to be honest wage discrimination pretty much doesn't happen today at all. At least with regards to women. It might have been issue back in the 60's and 70's. But, the argument still stands if an employer deny equal pay for the same level of work is discrimination. Now, your point makes little impact if the whole society is discriminating on the basis if your a women you are less value. So, they couldn't demand from the private company because all companies are denying her

[HugsMTG]

@dovahkiin516 then the person who is receiving less pay should demand more pay from the employer not the state if that is true. and if the employer disagrees then they don't have to work for that employer. there is a very common way of thinking in these laws that you have a right to work for someone, when in reality u don't.

[ACDC7369]

Friedman - pure brilliance. Enough said.

[dovahkiin516]

@kmelfina The point is that sometimes in society females will get paid less because we don't want to value them the same as a man. Now, that is happening less often today. But, still happens.

If you were a nurse and applied for a job and another female applied with the same experience and education, but you were offered a lower wage what would you say? The company hires both of you, but they pay her more and you less, but you both have the same exp, and education. That's the problem

[kmelfina]

@dovahkiin516 so the end to this is who gets the job with the costs? My female peers at the university always argue "Omg, this school teacher male who just came in makes more than my mother's friend who taught for 20 YEARS of experience and still gets paid less and will forever be stuck in a low wage continue-um if we don't have laws forcing employers to pay women what they pay men in a job". It's kind of hard to argue when opponents present such emotionally pulling rebuttals.

[dovahkiin516]

@jontycampbell "Why would I offer a lower rate?" Well you wouldn't because you are not the one hiring. Not to mention discrimination against women is becoming more rare. But, since this video was made in the 80's it's worth debating to their extent. The point of discrimination is not to recognize your value it's to keep your pay lower. Do you think slaves get recognized for their value and get a pay rise, no.