It is thought that compensating women the same amount as men is the optimal solution to gender inequality. I believe that promoting gender balance in politics would be a better method of combating that issue.
Equal pay for women can certainly help with fighting gender disparity. It helps ensure economic equality among the two sexes, removing one avenue for gender discrimination. However, this measure does not solve other ways in which women are still discriminated against. One of the most severe is their underrepresentation in politics. This means that rarely can women meaningfully have a say in the making of policies that can directly affect them, which allows the easier passing of misogynist laws that violate their rights. For example, the male-dominated parliament of Iran passed a regulation that banned abortion, against the wishes of their female citizens, denying millions of Iranian women access to a vital form of medical care.
Therefore, it is my opinion that equal representation in politics is the more effective initiative to tackle gender discrimination. This can be achieved by requiring important political offices to be occupied by an equal number of women to men. For instance, the current cabinet of Canada has the same number of male and female members. Such equal representation allows women to directly affect the decision-making and the legislative process of where they live, providing better protection against discriminatory policies and practices while also empowering them to push for those that can assist them in gaining the same level of privileges as their male counterparts. For example, female politicians can help pass laws that demand stricter enforcement of anti-sexual harassment rules in the military to better protect female service members from such actions.
In conclusion, I think that equalizing the representation of the two genders in the political sphere would be a better way to promote gender equality.