Comparable Worth

Definition

The concept that men and women who perform work that is deemed to have equal value should receive similar pay. Comparable worth posits that wages should be based on objective factors rather than market conditions that may depress wages in jobs primarily held by women. Comparable-worth policy aims to eliminate the wage penalty for working in occupations historically dominated by women. Comparable worth is not the same as “equal pay for equal work,” which is codified in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and prohibits wage differentials for equal work on the basis of sex.