Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2005. / Thesis directed by Teresa Ghilarducci for the Department of Economics. "July 2005." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-128).

This study seeks to explain the observed differences in the earnings of individual Canadians by sex. The study uses data from the micro data file of the 1986 Survey of Consumer Finances of individuals age 15 and over, with and without income. To a large extent, the study follows the examples presented in other Canadian studies conducted by Holmes (1974), Robb (1978), Gunderson (1980), Goyder (1981) and Ornstein (1983). Employment earnings account for an overwhelming proportion of the total income received by individuals. Thus, the examination of the earnings differential attempts to address the root causes of many of the problems faced by nontraditional families. Canadian society is no longer largely composed of the traditional family with a working father and the homemaking mother. The growing number of dual-earner couples, single and childless adults, and households headed by women presents a difficult challenge for social policy. The male-female earnings disparity is a key component in exacerbating problems that include the availability of credit for women, the feminization of poverty, access to affordable and adequate housing, and adequate incomes for retirement. To effectively address the problems that have resulted from the interaction of greater female participation in the labour force and the formation of alternate household types, planners and policy makers need to address the root problem of sexual inequality in the labour force, and not solely the symptoms. In the context of changing family structure and the economic position of women, the focus of this study is to identify the size of the male-female earnings gap, and to determine the extent to which the earnings gap can be explained by personal, work and productivity-related characteristics. The impact of these factors are analyzed from two points of view. First, the impact of individual factors on the level of earnings are analyzed through a simple comparison of mean earnings of men and women across a variety of characteristics. Second, the influence of these factors on earnings, and the degree of inequality between the earnings of men and women, is analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. Regression analysis is used to estimate separate earnings equations for men and women. From the separate earnings equations, the wage gap can be partitioned into three parts, due to differences in (1) constant terms, (2) mean levels of the independent variables, and (3) the returns of the independent variables. Further, to assess the impact of occupational and industrial segregation on the earnings gap, a second set of earnings equations are calculated that do not include measures of occupational and industrial segregation. The calculations of separate earnings equations for men and women, for the selected sample, produced an unadjusted earnings ratio of 0.66. After adjustments were made for the ten productivity and productivity-related factors considered in the analysis, including occupational and industrial distributions, the ratio increased to 0.79. This left an earnings gap of $5,985 (1985 dollars) that could not be assigned to any of the measured variables. While part of the unexplained residual may be explained by variables not included in the analysis, or by more careful measurement of existing variables, it seems likely that at least 20 percentage points of the earnings gap is attributable to "an amalgam of different forms of discrimination which, taken together, disadvantage women relative to men", (Denton and Hunter, 1982). Discrimination is defined as different returns in earnings for equal productivity characteristics, as given by the regression coefficients. Of the total earnings gap of 34 percent, approximately 60% of this is attributable to wage discrimination, and approximately 40% is due to differences in productivity-related characteristics Occupational and industrial segregation account for a large proportion of the earnings gap. The adjusted earnings ratio, when occupational and industrial segregation are not considered endowments, is 0.69. Thus, the difference between the full-regression equation and the partial regression equation indicates that occupational and industrial segregation accounts for approximately 30% of the earnings gap. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Comparable worth is a compensation strategy which goes beyond the equal pay standard. It uses job evaluation to measure job worth across occupations in the same organization. Rather than relying solely on prevailing market rates, the employer identifies compensable factors. Salary ranges are determined by how much each factor is present in the job. Washington is an appropriate case because it coined the term comparable worth, led the nation in conducting pay equity studies of its workforce, and is the only state to implement a negotiated agreement. The dissertation examines the implementation process and suggests how others can benefit from the state’s experience. The case is reported in two phases, with the lawsuit as pivotal point. During the ten-year policy development period, interest groups, the union, and personnel staffs gathered data. However, the various study recommendations did not culminate in statutory action, so the union filed suit. The second phase begins with negotiations and the plan itself. Analysis of this period focuses on the problems encountered since the plan went into effect. Six driving forces explain the actions and activities which moved the idea from concept to practice: (a) awareness of inequity, (b) actions of key political actors, (c) economic pressures, (d) the lawsuit, (e) time constraints, and (f) personnel capabilities. Several implications suggest how the dissertation can help other employers who are contemplating this new pay standard. When pay equity studies are conducted, some follow-up action should be forthcoming. Second, a comparable worth plan requires extensive preparation, not only in the agenda-building stage, but in program development. Third, all job classes should be evaluated to avoid problems of class distortion and disruption. All implementing officials should be included in the planning process. Fourth, comparable worth does not require new methodologies. Most employers are familiar with job evaluation techniques, hence the tools are available already. Finally, comparable worth does not need to be implemented as a woman's issue. It is a compensation strategy which addresses all undervalued occupations. For these reasons, it is a significant mechanism for evaluating dissimilar jobs and correcting wage inequities. / Ph. D.

This study focuses on the wage gap between Mexican American men and Mexican American women, and factors contributing to this disparity. People of Mexican descent make up 67% of the U.S. Hispanic population. Previous research tends to lump Hispanics together, masking differences between groups. Even more, studies considering Hispanic subgroups rarely examine gender differences on income. Using secondary data analysis of the March 2005 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, this study examines a neglected subgroup, Mexican Americans, and the income gap within this group. The sample size is 3,408 with Mexican American men comprising 55.2% of the sample and Mexican American women 44.8%. This study employs an income determination model composed of three model segments. Theoretical models include an individual component (comprised of variables such as age and education), a structural component (comprised of variables such as occupation and skill-level), and a gender component (comprised of variables such as sex and occupational sex segregation). Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses are used to examine the independent effects of variables on income. Based on mean annual earnings, analysis shows that net of other factors, an 81% wage gap exists between groups with Mexican American men earning $30,337 and Mexican American women earning $24,548. When examining different elements of the theoretical model, structural model components account for the most variance explained on income between groups. This suggests that gendered discrimination within institutions may affect inequality in pay between men and women. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. / "May 2006." / Includes bibliographic references (leaves 45-49).

This research attempted to evaluate the pay-gap between women with children and women without children. Previous literature consistently concludes women with children will have lower incomes than women without children. The income determination model is composed of individual, structural, and gender segments and is used to examine the pay-gap between these two groups. The 2004 American Time Use Survey dataset is used to analyze the hypothesis that women with children will have a lower income than women without children. Results in this research contradict previous research. OLS Regression revealed women with children have a higher income than women without children. However, further analysis showed women without children have higher economic return for their age and occupational prestige than do women with children. The structural segment in the income determination model explained the disparity more than the other two segments. Policy implications are discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Sociology.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-147). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-70). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology. / Since the merger, changes occurred within CPUT and within its salary structure as a whole. Measures had to be taken in order to harmonise the two salary structures to produce a single in order to eliminate disparities and as to ensures equity among the different categories of employees and their respective levels of appointment. When the researcher discovered that there were disparities within our merged systems, the researcher decided to do a researcher concerning disparities with the new merged salary structure. When most of the employees also discovered that some of their counterparts in other campuses were on a higher salary grade than them, they felt disgruntled. This was understandable as the two campuses had different salary structures inherent from the previous technikons. The researcher was done as employees’ salaries might affect productivity and their tenure with the organisation. When there are disparities it must not be taken for granted as it is the desire need to be fairly treated by the organisation, making development in the salary programme as it is very important for the human resource department.

Magister Legum - LLM / This paper compared the South African concepts of pay equity and equal pay for work of equal value with those of industrialised countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The study considered how South Africa recognized the right to promote equal pay, in the absence of a proper legal framework which expressly includes such a right. The paper also focused on the impact of statutes and case law on the developments of equal pay in the aforementioned industrialized countries. It also considered the impact of the decisions of the European Court of Justice on such developments as well as it impact on the interpretation of equal pay in these industrialised countries. The purpose of such comparison was not to transplant the legal system of these industrialised countries but to assist South Africa in remedying its weaknesses by creating legal rules for the promotion of equal pay for work of equal value. / South Africa

The notion of Decent Work has been broadly advocated since 1999 by means of various International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions. Through these Conventions and as part of its Decent Work Agenda, the ILO strives to foster the creation of social and economic systems, capable of ensuring basic security and employment and adaptable to rapidly changing local and global economic circumstances. The Decent Work Agenda has been widely accepted as an important strategy to eradicate poverty and enable socio-economic development. It is submitted that the concept of Decent Work as contemplated by the ILO, firstly focuses on the payment of an income, which allows the working individual a good life. It secondly strives to ensure that everybody has an equal chance to develop themselves; that working conditions are safe; that there is no instance of child and forced labour; and that discrimination does not occur. The elimination of discrimination in the workplace is not only an ever-evolving pursuit, given that it continues to manifest in innumerable forms, but it has also proven to be an extremely pervasive pursuit as evidenced by the jurisdiction-specific literature review in this study. The jurisdictions focused on in this study are the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Australia. This study concerns itself with pay-related discrimination which strains ILO Conventions No 100 and 111. Convention 100 focuses on equal pay for equal work and Convention No 111 focuses on the elimination of all forms of discrimination in the workplace. In spite of extensive legislative developments in the various jurisdictions which form part of this study, enhanced by the creation of various practical mechanisms to enable the elimination of pay-related discrimination, the stubborn problem of discriminatory pay practices has survived structured and deliberate attempts to get rid of it. In South Africa, the amendment to section 6(4) of the Employment Equity Act, assented on 1 August 2014, specifically describes a difference in conditions of employment between employees of the same employer performing the same or substantially the same work or work of equal value based on any one or more of the grounds listed in section 6(1), as unfair discrimination. This amendment therefore seeks to prohibit such unfair discriminatory practices. Based on the newness of this amendment and the fact that courts have not yet delivered judgments arising from litigation related to this particular amendment, a sense of uncertainty exists with respect to the adequacy of the amended section 6 in the Employment Equity Amendment Act. If progress in the other jurisdictions in this regard is anything to go by, there is no reason to believe that the amendment to section 6 will be a panacea capable of addressing all alleged discriminatory pay practices.