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The Comparable Worth Debate

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The Comparable Worth Debate

Abstract:
This case study will discuss the compensation strategy ‘Comparable Worth’. Along with an overview of the strategy comparable worth, we’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy. Lastly, with respect to the case study scenario outlined, we’ll discuss my recommendation of a ‘limited’ embracement of the comparable worth strategy.

Comparable Worth Overview
Comparable worth is a compensation strategy that has gained more traction in the public sector versus the private sector. It is meant to address wage inequalities between females and males. It is a process to re-evaluate wages for female role based jobs that are being paid at lower rate than for a similar male-based job. The belief is that women have been subject to a social process that results in them leaning towards employment sectors that are limited in terms of compensation. Further, that these jobs, despite requiring equivalent or more knowledge and often entail greater responsibility, are devalued, systemically. Examples of this are jobs like teachers, nurses, and other jobs centered around child care, that despite entailing a high degree of knowledge and responsibility, are paid at lower rates than say typical male role based jobs like a sanitation engineer or truck driver or other jobs that entail less demands. Thus, the strategy of comparable worth is a mechanism to examine these roles against similar roles and adjust compensation, comparative (Compensation Cafe. (2010, May 17). Comparable Worth: It’s so 1980s!).
Advantages of Comparable Worth
There is a recognized imbalance in the compensation structure for certain female based jobs, versus the education needed, responsibility the role entails and the perceived value in society for that role. For instance, look at the education required for being a teacher, responsible for a large group of children, and instrumental for crafting and shaping their minds. Truly, a large value worth, yet they remain underpaid compared to a similar ‘male identified’ roles. Thus, addressing the unjust system is the fair thing to do. Besides fairness, other benefits come with adjusting the wages for those that are undervalued. The current system stems tension, conflicts and resentment that can ultimately lead to feeling underappreciated. This can result in decreased job performance. Another consequence is that it’s well known that these jobs are underpaid and there is limited attraction by those entering the workforce (Andre, C., & Velaquez, M. (n.d.). Comparable Worth.). As the employment pool narrows for these positions, less qualified people are filling these critical jobs. Addressing the challenges that come from unequal/unfair pay, via comparative worth can help bring about increased productivity, job performance and help attract the best people for these roles.
Disadvantages of Comparable Worth
While there is a recognized issue with compensation, demonstrated by metrics, it’s debatable that it requires heavy-handed intervention via a comparable worth strategy. Market forces are currently dictating the pay differences and interfering with those forces often can lead to unforeseen consequences. For instance, by raising pay in certain areas, it could result in a shift in labor to those areas, reducing the appeal (and workforce) for the now similarly paid, less desirable job.
Opponents claim that the market forces that are driving the lower pay differences is the result of an excessive demand by women for those types of jobs. Other factors that lead to pay differences can also be blamed on the fact that women have less continuity in their career span as maternity leaves and leaving an occupation for periods of time for child rearing. Thus, men in other jobs are simply benefiting from the greater longevity of a career. Opponents also claim that women have every opportunity to choose higher paying jobs. Women are increasingly making traction across the spectrum in terms of job selection and salary. There are also other considerations that should be considered before adopting a comparable worth strategy. According to studies by World at Work, 80% of employers leverage market pay data as their primary or exclusive means of setting pay rates (The Pros and Cons of Comparable and What You Really Need to Know About. (n.d.). ). Thus, by adopting comparative market pay, there will be an impact to employers that will see increased costs for the same labor output. This can result in less profits and also higher costs to the consumer. Some companies could potentially be driven out of business, or reduce employee count to compensate (Bell, C. S. (1985, December). Comparable Worth: How do we know it will work?). Instead of helping women, this could ultimately undermine their very efforts. Further embracement in the public sector could also lead to higher deficits due to the additional labor costs. As with most polarized issues, both sides of the comparative worth strategy should be examined carefully.
Recommendations
Given the recognized imbalance in salaries for jobs in traditionally female held roles but also recognizing that the trend is slowly improving, I recommend a limited embracement of comparative worth. Comparative Worth should not by itself dictate a full salary review. As Janet Sawyer said in the case study from our course textbook “We may have problems. Let’s look at it, and let’s consider comparable worth. We may not be able to go the full 90 yards. How about a first step?” (Konopaske, Robert; Ivancevich, John (2012-07-01). Human Resource Management, 12th edition (Page 325). McGraw-Hill Higher Education -A. Kindle Edition...”). As a first step, while leveraging the existing pay structures, comparative worth studies could be used to assist salary determination and perhaps adjusting them towards the higher end of the current pay scales. This would help give the organization a competitive role in employment, moving it to the ‘leader’ in salaries.
Conclusion
In conclusion, unfair salary compensation for positions that are typically identified as female roles does exist and should not be ignored. However, there are many sound reasons for employers to not intervene in the market forces that are driving those imbalances. Employers could potentially leverage some principles of comparative worth to help adjust these imbalances when they are conducting annual compensation reviews, albeit leveraging the current pay structure.

References

Compensation Cafe. (2010, May 17). Comparable Worth: It’s so 1980s! Retrieved from http://www.compensationcafe.com/2010/05/comparable-worth-its-so-1980s.html

Andre, C., & Velaquez, M. (n.d.). Comparable Worth. Retrieved from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v3n2/comparable.html

The Pros and Cons of Comparable and What You Really Need to Know About. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.worldatwork.org/adimComment?id=38793

Bell, C. S. (1985, December). Comparable Worth: How do we know it will work? Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1985/12/art2full.pdf

Konopaske, Robert; Ivancevich, John (2012-07-01). Human Resource Management, 12th edition (Page 325). McGraw-Hill Higher Education -A. Kindle Edition...”

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