Follow-up on Unequal Pay

So, the other night, I wrote that I could almost see a real, Free-Market reason why a woman, having equal experience and education to a man, might be paid less than said man. And sadly, this would be if she were a mother.

Just like insurance companies find that men between the ages of 18 and 25 are more likely to have a car accident than any other demographic group... Sometimes you just pay more for a while, and beat the odds later.

But why women of childbearing age? Have I forgotten that most of my Engineering and Management years were spent during that age??? Why, no, I have not. And I also have not forgotten that I WAS paid less than similarly educated and experienced men, or women over the age of 45.

Here's the thing (and get ready, this is sort of reverse-dscrimination on my part) -- When I was a mom at work, no matter how brilliantly I performed, no matter how much I exceeded expectations... I was only HALF THERE while at work. The other half of my brain was a whirlwind of thoughts that went something like:

When was that deadline for swim team sign-ups? If her cough doesn't go away by tomorrow, I'm going to have to make a doctor's appointment. Is that school Bingo night tonight, or tomorrow night? Did I defrost something for dinner, or should I order a pizza on the way home? And did I ever hear back from the Science teacher, because I KNOW I didn't see her bring home the last test....

Added to this, would be the fact that I was a single mom, so if the school called and told me that the cough was worse and now she had a fever, or if Bingo night WAS in fact tonight... Well, it would be me, not my spouse, leaving work early to take care of it.

I asked my husband, does he have these thoughts while he is at work? Does he think things like "I wonder if we can really afford orthodontics for BOTH kids; am I supposed to be at the soccer game tonight, and if so is it our turn to bring the snacks; and I really can't forget to take them to buy a present for so-and-so's birthday party this weekend...". He assures me he does NOT.

A poll of one is hardly a study, so I'd LOVE to hear from the other Dads out there.

The thing is, my husband also points out that the average man thinks about sex, what, is it six times a minute, or every six minutes? Either way, he reasons, that can't make for a very efficient or effective work day, even when compared to the possible "other thoughts" of women in the workplace.

To me, that fact that a father and husband has a wife who will be the one to take care of the teachers' conferences and doctor's appointments, makes that man MORE valuable as an employee. The wife/mother's contribution isn't recognized in HER paycheck, but it is in her husbands. This might seem unfair, but only if they work for different employers!

So, what do you all think? Are men as distracted at work as women? Perhaps younger men are more distracted than Moms are? Is there any arguing that, in a truly free market, the many distractions of parenthood might make someone slightly less valuable?

Let me have it, I don't have all the answers.