Congresswoman Says Women Don't Want Equal Pay Laws

From the Huffington Post: 

During a roundtable discussion on NBC's Meet The Press, former White House advisor David Axelrod asked if she would support a law promoting workplace gender equality. Blackburn responded: 

"I think that more important than that is making certain that women are recognized by those companies. You know, I’ve always said that I didn’t want to be given a job because I was a female, I wanted it because I was the most well-qualified person for the job. And making certain that companies are going to move forward in that vein, that is what women want. They don’t want the decisions made in Washington. They want to be able to have the power and the control and the ability to make those decisions for themselves." 

Blackburn voted against the 2009 Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a landmark bill for women's rights in the workplace. The law makes it easier for women to file wage discrimination suits against employers. She also voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2009.

With all due respect to Congresswoman Blackburn (which is not much), she is conflating employment discrimination with pay discrimination. The Ledbetter Act would ensure that if a woman discovers she is not getting paid equal to her male counterparts doing the same job at the same quality, she can sue for the difference plus damages. I find it mind-boggling that a female member of Congress would be against such a measure. It makes you wonder who her corporate donors are and how they feel about equal pay for equal work.