Comparable Worth Policies Analysis

Comparable Worth Policies Analysis

Introduction To Research and Information and Utilization

RES/110

"Comparable Worth Policies Are Beneficial to Women" by Naomi Barko

The comparable worth policy requires employers to pay comparable wages to two people who have comparable skills, education, and experience to be paid comparable amounts even when they work two different jobs. According to the author statistics in the article it is shown that comparable worth policies have proven successful in raising the wages of woman and have not affected the labor market as contended by opposition. However, it is also pointed out that advocates need to be patient and persistent, as the market has been biased against woman and female occupations for ages.

"Comparable Worth Policies Are Not Beneficial to Women" by Diana Furchtgott-Roth

The author of this article states that the comparable worth policies are unnecessary, have slowed job growth and raised the cost of doing business. The comparable worth policy is actually reducing the number of people hired due to pay adjustments. Lower-paying occupations are not due to discrimination, women equally qualified make about the same as men when occupation, age and experience are considered. Wage gaps occur naturally due to the type of job, and the field of education.

I. Facts presented by Naomi Barko

a. Thirty-seven years after the Equal Pay Act of 1963, American women who work full time earn an average of seventy-four cents for every dollar earned by men, according to a new report published in by the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations and the Institute for Women's Policy Research in Washington.

b. Since 1997, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has collected ten million dollars in equal-pay settlements from corporations such as Texaco, US Airways, Pepsi-Cola, Gateway, and Highmark, Inc. During this same period Home Depot and Publix Supermarkets, paid more than eighty million dollars each to settle lawsuits on sex discrimination.

II. Facts presented by Diana Furchtgott-Roth

a. Senator Harkin's Fair Pay Act would mandate all companies to have wage-guideline systems, enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to ensure that "equivalent jobs" of men and women were paid the same.

b. Heidi Hartman, director of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, testified at a Senate hearing that comparable worth has had a negative impact on job growth.

III. Opinions presented by Naomi Barko

a. If men and women were paid uniformly, more than fifty percent of low-income families across America, dual income as well as single mothers, would rise above the poverty level.

b. In the almost daily reports of teacher shortages, rarely is it mentioned that the marketplace alone cannot give an explanation for the noticeable parity between teachers' and other professionals' salaries. No one ever suggests that it might have something to do with the fact that seventy five percent of all grade school and middle school teachers are women.

IV. Opinions presented by Diana Furchtgott-Roth

a. Ms. Barko cites the new report by the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations and the Institute for Women's Policy Research in Washington "Equal Pay for Working Families." This report was written in 1999 and again promotes the fiction, that discrimination is to blame for the wage gap between men and women of seventy-four cents on the dollar.

b. "Comparable worth" is the type of Soviet-style planning that caused Communist countries to decay and weaken while America grew strong and prosperous. There is nothing to stop women from applying for other jobs but they must be able to perform at a level that others are willing to pay for.

V. Problems on the Pro side

a. Statistics used by Ms. Barko are and average across the country. Every labor market is different. In a state that is known for it high tech industry the differences in wages may not have a large disparity. However, when you add in a job market that is more service oriented the average of the two will give the appearance that there is a larger disparity in wages.

b. The jobs compared are not the same. There is a difference between a truck driver and a secretary. There a different skills sets needed for both jobs, also needed to be taken into consideration is the time on job, and whether or not the drivers route is local or long haul. In order to have an accurate evaluation the jobs need to be compared apples to apples and oranges to oranges so to speak.

VI. Problems on the Con side

a. Ms. Furchtgott-Roth used statistic to show that "comparable worth" would cause a loss in jobs. The statistics did not take into account the possible slow down or loss of jobs in the market place, which may have been caused by economics.

b. The statement as facts without back up data that comparable worth is wreaking havoc on the Canadian job market based on the settlement of pay equity suits raises more questions than answers. It also does not mention whether or not there was a strong job market prior to the settlement. Were the female federal employees paid less than their male counterparts for the same job?

VII. Propaganda techniques used by Naomi Barko

Ms. Barko propaganda technique was to use of facts to support her opinion and the stories of people who she was using as examples to show that comparable worth was beneficial. All research used was only in favor of "comparable worth" and the need for the government and court system to be involved. The overall tone