Comparable Worth: Theories and Evidence: Social Institutions and Social Change Book

Do employers pay less for predominantly female jobs than for predominantly male jobs that involve different tasks but are "comparnble" in their demands of skill, training, effort, responsibility, and working conditions? Are anti-discrimination policy and wage systems based on "comparable worth" a reasonable idea? This overview of the controversial issue of comparable worth integrates perspectives from sociology, economics, industrial psychology, law, philosophy, and interdisciplinary feminist theory. After providing a detailed description of the situation of women in employment today, the volume considers how sociological and economic theories of labor markets illuminate the gap in pay between sexes. The book also contains chapters on how job evaluation can be used and misused, the legal status of comparable worth in federal courts, the stance of different feminist philosophies on normative issues of comparable worth, and contemporary policy debates on pay equity.Read More