On February 8th, as part of their controversy series, the College Republicans sponsored "Feminism Today: A Dialogue on Feminism in the 21st Century." Carrie Lucas, from the Washington, D.C. based Independent Women's Forum, was the keynote speaker. She delved into the "76 cent question," trying to explain why working women earn on average 76 cents on the dollar compared to men in similar jobs. She dissected the women's rights movement from a conservative, limited government perspective.
Surveying the current state of the gender equality movement, Lucas acknowledged that persistent problems such as violence and sexism do still exist, but she defended the notion that working women on the whole receive fair treatment. She made the point that 30 years ago a women's rights expert such as her self would have been examining the 67 cent (or worse) question. She pointed out that 76 cents are, after all, better than 67. Lucas also held up the statistic that women constitute 56% of American undergraduates, an undeniable sign that the education gap is closing rapidly. She even attacked the basic notion of a women's movement saying, "Women aren't an interest group, just individuals, and we can speak for ourselves."
The crux of her argument, explaining the pay disparity, was that surveys indicate that female employees, unlike males, prefer flexibility and job fulfillment over maximum pay. Also, women on average work 10 years less than their male counterparts. She defended the fact that certain women, who opt for flexibility and time to care for children, are paid proportionately less than certain men who choose, "investment banking and an early grave."
Lucas launched a spirited attack on the National Organization for Women (NOW) and individuals who demand that the government require businesses to make up the 24 cent gap with salary regulations, mandated free health care, paid maternity leave, free day care, or other "nanny state goodies." She accused NOW and other groups that demand these freebies of encouraging dependency on government handouts, and of having a "pessimistic, old-fashioned view of women."
"The government should not intervene to make the choice between work or kids. The free market dictates that valuable employees will be kept and provided for, because that's just good business," Lucas said, continuing, "Somebody has to pay for all of this." She faulted government mandated "goodies" as counterproductive, because they put undue strain on businesses and reduce the number of jobs that can be created.
Lucas concluded her remarks with a scathing critique of proposed federally funded childcare centers, arguing that they would crowd out private caregivers. The takeover would trap middle income families in inadequate government childcare, while the wealthiest 10% of families would still send their children to private academies.
She added that, "Men can stay at home [and care for children] too, but don't ever expect that it will be fifty-fifty. Actually, right now men are becoming more inclined to be stay-at-home dads, though according to the census only about 1% of working men make this choice." In the same vein, there are millions of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and neighbors across the street who would love to care for the kids from three to five in the afternoon. Lucas noted that while parents overwhelmingly prefer this kind of care, it's being strangled by government regulation requiring licensing for all care-givers.
Lucas went on to criticize Al Gore's proposal for mandatory kindergarten and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's mandatory after school programs in California.
She reiterated her support for a conservative economic agenda, including lower taxes, school choice, and less regulation of business, as well as, "getting back to a women's movement that plays a constructive role in society." Lucas concluded by warning all the female undergraduates in the audience not to be discouraged by all the talk of disparity and discrimination, assuring them that it is unrealistic to, "come into the work world with the attitude that I'm going to be screwed."
