A Liberal National Party MP told federal parliament "you cannot possibly compare" women who work in child care with men who work in construction during a debate about gender pay equity.

Colin Boyce made the comments last week during an address to the lower-profile Federation Chamber on the government's Workplace Gender Equality Amendment, prompting Minister for Women Katy Gallager to label it "tone-deaf, casual misogyny".

In a statement, Mr Boyce told the ABC that women and men should be paid the same for the same work and that he sought to raise concerns about how gender pay gap reports compared industries.

The Member for Flynn had said legislation to encourage gender equity targets for large companies would not help achieve what women "actually want to do".

"I have absolutely no qualms about women wanting to do anything they like. In fact, they should be paid equally to men," the Queensland MP began.

"But the simple fact of the matter is that what we miss here is that we are not comparing apples with apples.

"Many women don't want to be CEOs of companies or take leadership roles.

"It's simply not the same thing."

In response, Labor MP Carina Garland told the chamber her ancestors who campaigned for women's suffrage in the 19th century would be "appalled and dismayed" at Mr Boyce's comments.

"I don't know if I have ever heard more backward attitudes about gender before in my life than I have just sat through today," she said.

Ms Gallagher told the ABC Mr Boyce's comments were "belittling childcare workers and telling women what jobs they should aspire to".

"This kind of tone-deaf, casual misogyny has no place in our community, let alone the parliament," she said.

"If you need any more evidence of why Peter Dutton's Coalition hasn't changed one bit when it comes to respecting women, look no further than these outdated comments."

The government's bill would require companies with 500 or more employees to set measurable gender equity targets to be eligible for government contract work.

The Coalition does not support the bill, despite Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley earlier this year naming the construction sector as one that benefited from taxpayer money while undervaluing women.

"There are businesses that have built their success from partnering with governments that are not meeting the mark on gender pay parity," she said in February.

"That must change."

In a speech to parliament, shadow early childhood minister Angie Bell said the government's bill placed onerous financial implications on businesses and gave too much power to the minister for women.

In a statement to the ABC, Mr Boyce said he encouraged people to read his whole speech.

"As a father to a daughter and grandfather to granddaughters, I am a strong believer and advocate for men and women to be paid the same for the same job," he said.

"What my speech highlighted was the fact that various reports commissioned to determine the gender pay gap compare completely different industries that are not related which is not comparing apples with apples."

He also pointed to the end of his speech, which said that everywhere he had worked "women who participate get paid equally the same as men do".

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency, which collects data from employers, notes that female-dominated industries such as child care are valued less than male-dominated industries and therefore have lower wages on average.