Comparable Worth Readings

March 24:

• Mary E. Becker. "Barriers Facing Women in the Wage-Labor Market and the Need for Additional Remedies: A Reply to Fischel and Lazear." Weisberg, 697-709.
• Deborah Walker, "Value and Opportunity: The Issue of Comparable Pay for Comparable Worth" (an on-line article written by a Research Fellow at George Mason University for the Cato Institute's Policy Analysis series)

March 26:

• Julianne Malveaux. "Comparable Worth and Its Impact on Black Women." Weisberg, 683-696.
• Richard A. Posner. "Conservative Feminism." Feminist Legal Theory: Foundations. Ed. D. Kelly Weisberg. Temple University Press, 1993. 99-117.

Written Assignment (due March 26): Answer all parts of the following two questions fully; when referring to the readings, cite properly, including page numbers.

1. What is "comparable worth"? How does it differ from the concept of "equal pay for equal work"? What kind of employment situation is it intended to rectify (in the course of answering this question, include one specific example from the readings)? What is the legal status of "comparable worth" in comparison with "equal pay for equal work"?
2. What are the pros and cons of "comparable worth" as a strategy for promoting equality for women in the area of employment? Drawing upon the readings and discussion for this unit, explain what you see as the two most meaningful arguments in favor of this strategy and the two most meaningful arguments against it. Then describe your personal reaction to this strategy. Do you think it would be appropriate and effective to legally enforce "comparable worth"? Why or why not?

Additional Links on Comparable Worth

• American Nurses' Association v. State of Illinois, Circuit Judge Posner (a judicial opinion that discusses many comparable worth legal issues)
• "Comparable Worth", Issues in Ethics (v.3, n.2), published by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics (a short article summarizing arguments on both sides of the issue)
• "What Every Man Should Know About Feminist Issues: Comparable Worth" by Rod Van Mechelen (a popularizing attack)
• "Comparable Worth or Incomparably Worthless?" by Lawrence W. Reed, Viewpoint on Public Issues (No 94-22 · September 6, 1994), published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (another attack)