Comparable Worth: An Analysis of Gender Equity

Abstract

Unequal pay for equal work. Women typically earn less than men in the same job even when other things are equal (ie years of experience, education, training) are the same (Ashenfelter and Pencavel). Unequal access to better work. Relative to men, women are more likely to work in lower paid jobs or occupations (ie clerical as opposed to management. Gender defined occupations are associated with lower pay. On average, the more strongly an occupation is associated with being a female job, the lower the pay for that job, men and women both. (Treiman and Hartmann 1981.) Proponents of comparable worth also point out that the wage gap is the most severe at the height of a woman's earning potential. As a direct result, women's lifetime earnings will fall far short of the earnings that a male can expect over his career.