Lack of equal pay for women who do the same jobs as men helps illustrate an even bigger problem — underpaying women for they jobs they do across society.

The Los Angeles school system just experienced a huge strike by the union that represents teachers aides, lunchroom workers, bus drivers, and other workers in jobs that are traditionally performed by women. (Teachers walked out in solidarity.)

The LA school workers make a poverty wage. Even a married couple who each had a support job in the LA school system would struggle to raise a family on their combined paycheck.

"Well, what do expect to make if you're a lunch lady?" asked one oblivious Twitter user yesterday while commenting on the strike. "If you want a real paycheck, get a real job."

That attitude is why women don't get paid properly for their work.

"Lunch ladies" do real work. Parents rely on them, like they rely on all school workers, to keep their children safe, to do their jobs not just professionally but with caring and empathy.

The chairman of the school district, who makes 3/4 of a million dollars a year if you count his bennies, condemned the strike by noting that it would burden parents who would have to pay for child care or not go to work.

Well, all those teachers aides, "lunch ladies," bus drivers, etc are burdened every day of their life because society deems their traditional woman's work to not be worth a living wage.

At least in California, they had the right to strike. Where I live in Michigan, "right to work" laws make striking next to impossible in many circumstances and even make forming labor unions difficult.

Fortunately, our woman governor, now that she has a Democratic majority in the legislature, is rushing to strike down anti-union laws falsely labeled "right to work."

Lunch ladies and teachers aides make a pittance here too. Will stronger labor laws help them earn paychecks commensurate to the work they do?

Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it anytime soon.