Rigidity is setting in that obscures reasonable discussion of the imperfections of a free market where women's wages are concerned, and increases the likelihood that comparable worth, if implemented, might substitute one set of arbitrary job evaluations for another. (MLW)

There has been a rapid increase in Mississippi women's participation in the labor force, but female participation still lags behind male participation. The 1960s witnessed dramatic increases in younger women's participation. The trend is expected to continue into the late 1970s. Annual 1977 averages showed women made up almost 40% of Mississippi's…