With the Obama-Romney debates going on, there’s a lot of discussion around equal pay for woman in the workforce. Equal pay? ​What’s that all about?

I know that for many, the thought of a mere woman making the same as a qualified man is just absurd.  Women in the work force? Foolish. They should be at home tending to the chillins and makin’ some grub. Women wearing suits? Who do they think they are? Men? Outrageous. I mean really, why would one ever pay a WOMAN the same as a man with the same job? Well…because one should. And because women rock in business. Our multitasking skills are off the hook. We understand a good work ethic (you know, having been trained since birth to manage a house filled with aliens disguised as kids – aliens are really tricky). And, regardless of age, sex, race, creed, whatever, if someone is good at their job, they should get paid what they, and the job are worth. No matter which category they fit into. (I think a bunch of light-bulbs just went off in some peoples heads.)

So, what do we do now? As women, we must first realize that sadly, there are, for some strange reason, a few men who are working against us on this equal pay (ahhem…equal rights) issue. God, so irritating. Next, before you go around your office threatening all the males at the same level as you and forcing them to tell you what they make, there are a few ways for us to take these matters into our own hands:

• Negotiate. Apparently all men do this (generalization). If you’re offered a job, unless it’s an entry level job, ask for more. There’s no harm in asking. The worst they can tell you is no. However, if they give you a no, see if you can get other benefits, like money towards education, bonuses, extra days off, etc.
• Know your worth and the value of the job. Information is the key to so many wonderful things.
• Don’t accept less. If you’re an awesome employee who’s super smart, there will always be a better job for you.
• Tell all the ape like men to shove it. Just kidding. That will get you nowhere.

What it comes down to, is that this whole equal rights battle we thought we won in the 70’s wasn’t won at all. Instead, we just took that first excruciating step upwards as we attempt to summit the mountain of common sense and decency.

I really hope that by the time I have children, all of this racist/sexist/creedist/age-ist bullshit will be behind us and the world will be peaceful and awesome.