Comparable Worth: Theories and Evidence

Do employers pay less for predominantly female jobs than for predominantly male jobs that involve different tasks but are "comparable" in their demands of skill, training, effort, responsibility, and working conditions? Are antidiscrimination 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.

Preface
Segregation and the Pay Gap
Introduction	p. 1
Increasing Employment among Women	p. 4
The Sex Segregation of Jobs	p. 12
The Sex Gap in Pay	p. 23
Conclusion	p. 42
Notes	p. 44
Theories of Labor Markets
Introduction	p. 45
The Orthodox Neoclassical View	p. 46
The New Neoclassical Institutionalism	p. 76
Framing Models	p. 89
Marxist Views	p. 91
Other Sociological and Institutional Views	p. 98
Adjudicating between Theories	p. 112
Conclusion: An Interdisciplinary View	p. 119
Notes	p. 122
Pay in Female and Male Occupations: Findings from National Data
Introduction	p. 125
Data and Variables	p. 128
Statistical Models	p. 148
Empirical Findings	p. 154
Conclusion	p. 181
Notes	p. 184
Job Evaluation
Introduction	p. 189
Methods of Job Evaluation	p. 190
Reliability	p. 196
Validity	p. 197
Using Job Evaluation to Identify and Correct Sex Bias in Pay	p. 205
Job Evaluation and Market Wages	p. 217
The Politics of Using Job Evaluation for Pay Equity	p. 220
Conclusion	p. 223
Notes	p. 223
Pay Equity and the Federal Courts
Introduction	p. 225
The Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act	p. 227
Opening the Door to Comparable Worth: The Gunther Decision	p. 232
Comparable Worth Cases Using the Disparate Treatment Model	p. 234
Comparable Worth Cases Using the Disparate Impact Model	p. 237
A Critique of Circuit Court Decisions	p. 241
Social and Political Factors Affecting Court Decisions	p. 247
Conclusion	p. 249
Notes	p. 250
Feminism and Other Philosophical Positions
Introduction	p. 253
Patriarchal Views	p. 254
Liberalism and Liberal Feminism	p. 257
Marxism and Socialist Feminism	p. 264
Radical and Cultural Feminism	p. 268
Conclusion	p. 273
Notes	p. 276
Policy Debates
Introduction	p. 277
The Sex Gap in Pay and Discrimination	p. 279
Is Segregation and Hiring Discrimination the Real Problem?	p. 283
Do Women Need and Deserve Comparable Worth as Simple Justice?	p. 285
The Market Wage Argument	p. 287
The Feasibility and Relevance of Job Evaluation	p. 291
Legal Issues	p. 293
Could Comparable Worth Achieve Its Goals?	p. 295
Possible Adverse Effects on the Economy, Polity, and Society	p. 299
Is Comparable Worth an Insufficiently Radical Reform?	p. 301
Conclusion	p. 304
Notes	p. 307
References	p. 309
Index	p. 341
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Comparable Worth: Theories and Evidence

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials