let's be honest:
should i be paid more now than i was when i cleaned houses for a living?
yes.
why?
1) because it's harder and it costs me more in the way in which it affects the rest of my life -- if i was paid as much as I was for cleaning houses I would possibly still do it (some days). Perhaps I should take pleasure in this work as some 'just' reward -- but certainly others don't resond to my work as inherently valuable (it's not motherhood or anything) -- and thus perhaps I could be seen to seek validation for long hours and over-commitment in other ways
but however you want to phrase that side of things...
2) i personally want to reward people for undertaking extended education -- which in very pragmatic terms is often unrewarded, and which i think has major social benefits in terms of the 'awareness' of the rest of the world it provides/sustains, and in some respects my kind of job is a material example of why that's worth the effort
I don't think in a perfect world I would have the same approach to differential wages -- but for the moment I do think there's a case, and i'm even prepared to concede I would benefit from it in ways i would be prepared to defend.
I haven't exhausted this, but I've probably been defensive enough.
Catherine