Wednesday is Equal Pay Day — or the day that supposedly marks how far into this year women must work in order to earn as much as men did the previous year. The annual "holiday" is part of a larger narrative that women are victims in need of government intervention.

Consider, for example, that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform is holding a hearing on Equal Pay Day to examine "the Long-Term Economic Impacts of Gender Inequality." The hearing description states: "This hearing will review reforms to promote an equitable and inclusive economic recovery for women across the United States and evaluate how enacting comprehensive feminist reforms — such as the Paycheck Fairness Act, the Child Care for Working Families Act, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and other vital measures — would help to ensure full economic inclusion and equity for women as part of the country’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis."