EXPLAINING STATE COMPARABLE WORTH INITIATIVES IN THE UNITED STATES

Women in the workforce earn an average of two-thirds of the wages by men, partly because the majority of women are segregated into female-dominated jobs and occupations that receive lower wages than male-dominated jobs and occupations. Basing wages on the comparable worth of jobs to the employer is proposed as a partial solution to the wage discrimination experienced by women. States are in the process of adopting comparable worth as a basis for setting wages for state employees. Five comparable worth initiatives or actions taken within states are examined separately and combined to form an index. The five initiatives are introduction of comparable worth legislation in the legislature, initiation of a job evaluation study, establishment of a comparable worth task force, implementation of comparable worth as a basis for wage-setting for state employees, and appropriation of money to implement comparable worth. The relationship between political, economic, and women's status factors within states and a state's adoption of comparable worth initiatives are examined using a cross-sectional survey approach. Data are analyzed with Pearson Product Moment Correlations and multiple regression techniques.