An Examination of comparable worth

Abstract

The concept of comparable worth is attracting more attention around the country as diverse groups bring pressure for an evaluation of the methods by which an employer or society as a whole determines the value of a particular job. Because comparable worth addresses the inverse relationship between the percentage of women in an occupation and the compensation of the workers, and because the overwhelming majority of librarians are women, librarians have often been in the forefront of efforts to implement comparable worth studies. With the introduction and subsequent defeat in committee of LB206, a bill which would have instituted a pay equity study of state jobs, comparable worth is an issue of immediate concern to Nebraskans and especially to the Nebraska Library Association. The authors explore the concept of pay equity/comparable worth by examining several cases involving librarians and others and by analysing the arguments on both sides of the issue.