Legislating Complementarity?

Across the Pond, the E.U. has apparently given up on pushing a proposal to mandate that corporate boards have at least 40% women (or, as their spokesperson so delicately put it:  “decided to take a little more time so that it can reach an ambitious consensus” on the proposal).

Meanwhile, here in the U.S., a new study by the American Association of University Women finds that "Nearly 50 years after the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was enacted, women continue to earn less than men do throughout their careers, and the gap is seen as soon as one year out of college". 

The study seems to belie some of my own speculation that the pay gap is largely due to choices women make, or decisions women make due to the lack of any other choices, with respect to dependent care.  It concludes:

The report offers some suggestions that could help remedy the pay gap. First, it says, women can make different choices to enhance their earning potential, such as paying attention to which majors offer the best salaries and becoming more willing to negotiate for higher salaries.

Such measures, however, are not enough, Ms. Corbett said. Because women are paid less in every field, she said, "making a different job choice won't avoid the pay gap."

Therefore, she said, it is up to employers and lawmakers to take stronger action. The study suggests that new legislation is needed to modernize and strengthen the policies that exist, and that employers need to check their own pay scales to make sure they are paying women equally.

"This is not something that women can do on their own," Ms. Corbett said. "Research shows that people tend to undervalue women's work. This is something we really have to work on if we want to fix the pay gap."

Precisely what care feminists like Joan Williams, Pope John Paul II, and people like me (see this article) have been arguing for years!