Comparable Worth and Compensation: Complexities and Controversies in the United States

Abstract

A large earnings gap between men and women has persisted in the USA despite legislation intended to reduce it. One cause of this has been thought to be systematic marketplace undervaluing of tasks performed by women. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sought to address this perceived inequity by reviving a 1940s concept, “comparable worth”. This article examines litigation that sought to enforce the legal requirement of “equal pay for comparable worth” and the implementation problems and controversies that ensue.

Citation

Cohen, M.E. and Fryer Cohen, C. (1987), "Comparable Worth and Compensation: Complexities and Controversies in the United States", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 7-10. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb010465