A Modest Proposal

For argument’s sake, let’s all agree that the gender wage gap is objectively valid and that the data indicating that women make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes are correct.  Assuming we agree on that, what if we decided to think of part of that disparity as compensation paid to men in return for signing up for the selective service?  Think of it as a way to compensate men for pledging to defend our country with their very lives, should it come down to that.  This is a service that is not and has never been expected of women, but men are required by law to provide this service or risk up to five years in jail and fines up to $250,000.  It is a service for which men are not directly compensated in any other way.  I don’t know that it’s worth paying men 23% more than women, but isn’t it worth something?