Joseph,
That comparison is off. The reasoning of the proponents of the idea I mentioned, as I understand it, is because in case of divorce of a non-religious couple they will likely not obtain a halachic get, thus causing much greater problems down the line.
If you tell a non-religious woman that tonight is Shabbos and to light, and she lights, then she knows that it is Shabbos. And any subsequent potential melachos done would carry a more serious penalty than if she did not remember it was Shabbos in the first place.