In the last 20 years, an increase in the number of working women has been accompanied by changes in the female labor force and in the concentration of women in particular occupations and industries. These changes have a profound effect upon women's earnings. The Current Population Survey (CPS) shows a wide disparity in the median earnings of women…

Defines four distinct theories of wage discrimination: equal pay for equal work, equal pay for similar work, equal pay for equal or comparable worth, and pay parity. Court cases involving comparable worth are discussed and statistics cited. The effect of job evaluations and the power of the marketplace are examined also. (CT)

A recent national survey suggests that women and Blacks receive less on-the-job training and training opportunities in their jobs than White males. This is especially true of young Black men. The factor of low wage does not seem to play a large part in this discrepancy. (CT)

Two essays address the issue of pay equity and present opinions favoring and opposing comparable-worth adjustments. Movement of women out of traditionally female jobs, the limits of "equal pay," fairness of comparable worth and market-based wages, implementation and efficiency of comparable worth system, and alternatives to comparable…

Despite the great influx of women into the labor market, the gap between men's and women's wages has remained stable at 40 percent since 1950. Analysis of labor data suggests that this has occurred because women's educational attainment compared to men has declined. Recently, however, the wage gap has begun to narrow, and this will probably become…

Examines the influence of child-related reductions in past hours worked on current wage rate of married women with children. The study reveals that differences in "intensity" of prior work experience account for half of the sex-related wage gap. (TE)

This report examines the situation of the one-half of the nation's nine million working poor who are female. It begins by looking at just who the working poor are. Two areas of study are education levels and types of jobs. The discussion then shifts to minimum wage earners and their characteristics, the current status of the minimum wage, and the…

This study is a cross-section regression analysis of male-female wage differentials in urban labor markets. Data for the study were obtained from the 1967 Survey of Economic Opportunity. A prime objective of this dissertation is to determine how much of the observed male-female wage differential can be attributed to the effects of discrimination…

Notes on topics such as equalization of female custodian wages; and a school track made of rubber and asphalt instead of the traditional cinders. (JF)

Many economists have tried to explain existing wage differentials between men and women. A new approach compares the relative importance of occupational discrimination with that of wage discrimination. This model allows for variation both in occupational distribution and in wages resulting from differences in job qualifications and productivity…

This report discusses sex-based wage discrimination, the role of comparable worth doctrine in analyzing or combating such discrimination, and the appropriateness of the remedial prescriptions that comparable worth doctrine envisions. The report consists of a brief introduction and five chapters. Chapter 1 presents a brief overview of women in the…

Issued on the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act (1963), this report is a historical analysis of the economic trends affecting women workers from the years leading up to passage of the act through the present. It is divided into three time periods to highlight important developments: Part I--The Early Impact of the Equal Pay Act,…

Discusses steps employers can take to prevent female clerical workers from wanting to join labor unions. These steps include reviewing the company's employment practices to ensure compliance on sex fairness issues; reviewing pay practices; reviewing the company's position regarding sexual harassment; reviewing benefits and personnel policies; and…

The earnings gap is the difference between the percentage ratio of women's earnings to those of men and 100 percent. In 1988, the earnings gap for hourly earnings was 26 percent; for weekly earnings, 30 percent; and for annual earnings, 34 percent. Although the direction over the past decade is toward greater equality, the pace is extremely slow.…

This report addresses two central questions raised by the rapidly changing economic role of American women during the 20th century. First, why have the reported wages of women remained constant at approximately 59 percent of men's wages, in spite of the enormous increase in the numbers of women who work and who presumably have been acquiring…