Equal pay for equal work has been a legal requirement for decades now. Talk about stricter enforcement has gone on awhile, too. But it might behoove all employers to straighten out any gender-based pay issues now, because the federal government finally might be getting serious.

Last week, President Barack Obama released a statement endorsing the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that would make it easier for women to sue employers who pay them less than their male counterparts. Also, Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the release of recommendations from the Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force.

Men may hold more of the jobs that society values most highly. However, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: “A recent report from Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress found that approximately 41 percent of the wage disparity cannot be explained by differences in experience, specific work performed, education or other non-discriminatory factors.”

What should employers do? We happened across some good advice from the North Carolina Employer’s Handbook: “If the federal government runs a pay audit, finds violations of the laws and successfully prosecutes a company for them, the penalties can be severe. They include … having a third party impose new pay practices on the business and fine the firm for back pay and interest for up to three years.

“Employers need to take steps in advance of any possible federal audits. You should review in-house any pay equity issues that may exist between male and female employees and determine whether they can be defended legitimately. If not, you should correct them immediately. This review should involve consideration of all of your company’s policies and procedures as well as a statistical analysis of compensation data.”

Just consider it a corollary of the Golden Rule: Treat female employees as you would want your daughter to be treated.