COMPARABLE WORTH

also called sex equity or pay equity in economics, the principle that men and women should be compensated equally for work requiring comparable skills, responsibilities, and effort. The concept of comparable worth was introduced in the 1970s by reformers seeking to correct inequities in pay for occupations traditionally held by men and women. Following Congressional passage of the Equal Pay Act (1963), which required that men and women receive equal pay for equal work, wages for occupations in which most working women were concentrated continued to lag behind those for comparably skilled but predominantly male occupations. Efforts to correct such discrepancies through legislation have met with skepticism from those who object that application of the principle interferes with the operation of a free market and that the worth of an occupation is not absolute and cannot be compared. In American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees v. State of Washington (1981), the state of Washington was ordered to provide raises and compensatory back pay to female state employees, who were found to be earning 20 percent less than their male coworkers. Although the decision was overturned on appeal, the case brought the issue of comparable worth to political prominence in the 1980s. Pay equity laws were enacted in Europe and in a number of states and municipalities in the United States. Conservative and business groups continue to oppose the implementation of pay equity programs.