annotations

Annotated Bibliography

Kelly, Rita Mae, and Jane Bayes. “Implementing Comparable Worth In The Public Sector: Theory And Practice At The State And Local Level.” Policy Studies Review 5.4 (1986): 769-775. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

The information in this academic journal is somewhat dated; however it is an example of the progress that women have made in the fight for equal compensation in the work force.  The origination of the fight for equity in salary among men and women originated with the Federal Equal Pay Act in 1963.  The pay equity movement for women it based on the assumptions that gender discrimination in the workplace should be deemed illegal and that men and women should have an equal opportunity to possess equal positions.  It is also states that “women’s work” should possess equal worth as “men’s work.”  Examples of women’s work are professions in the areas of childcare, nursing, and teaching; while examples of men’s work are professions those that require strenuous physical labor.  This source also states that there was a common thought that equalizing the value of men and women in the workplace would cause women disinterest in the effort of trying to achieve true and complete equality in the workplace.  Another factor causing hindrances in the efforts of women to gain equality was the fact that either a woman’s salary would require an increase, or there would be a need for a decrease in the salary of a man.  This stated, a company would have potential of losing millions, potentially billions, of dollars by increasing a woman’s pay; but at the same time it would drive men to quit their jobs if their salaries were docked.  This source will be useful for describing the trend in the fight for equal pay among men and women, starting back during the Kennedy/Johnson administration.

Meric, Linda. “Women still seek paycheck equity.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution [Atlanta, GA] 7 Feb. 2010: A23. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

This article is based on the most recent US Census when it was written; taken in 2010.  The facts stated from the census showed that “the pay gap between men’s and women’s earnings actually widened slightly between 2007 and 2008, from 78 percent to 77 percent.”  The salary gaps in ethnic groups other than the white working class are slightly greater.  In the Latino ethnic group, women only make 68 percent of a man’s salary while doing the same job.  Lilly Ledbetter, a woman fighting to receive compensation for the discrimination she faced in the workplace that was reflected in her salary, filed a lawsuit in attempt to close the gap in salary.  Although her court case was overturned, it was the beginning of a new effort to receive equality.  This source will be useful due to the fact that it has statistical information backing up the evidence of sexual discrimination in the workplace.

“Equal pay is not only about fairness – it’s about survival Gender * Sex discrimination persists as a real problem for women in the workplace.” St Louis Post-Dispatch [MO] 25 June 2009: A15. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Web. 10 Oct. 2012

In modern times, the fact that women do not receive equal compensation for the same job as men is more of a matter of survival than equality.  The “breadwinner” in a lot of modern families is the women; therefore it affects the overall financial status of a family.  “In Missouri, the typical woman had to work from January 2008 through April 2009 to earn what her male counterpart received in 2008 alone.”  “The Paycheck Fairness Act is a comprehensive bill that would create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, empower women to negotiate for equal pay, and strengthen federal outreach, education, and enforcement efforts.”  This article also brings to notice that the inequity in male and female salaries is not just affecting the current financial status of a family; it also determines their security in retirement.  This source will be useful in describing specific examples of how families are affected in modern times.