Comparable Worth, Part 1: A Theory With No Facts

Publication Date: March 1984

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Peter G. Germanis

Research Area: Labor; Social conditions

Keywords: Labor

Type: Report

Abstract:

The occupational and pay patterns of men and women can be explained without resorting to unsubstantiated claims of sex discrimination. These patterns result from different cultural roles. The key factor is that women typically have spent about half as many years as men in paid employment, choosing to devote more time to work in the home. Stemming from this underlying distinction, differences in education, training, seniority, experience, turnover, labor force participation patterns, working conditions, personal preferences, and general labor market conditions explain most, if not all, of the wage gap.