Response to Questions Related to Comparable Worth and Sex-Based Wage Discrimination
Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO answered a series of questions concerning the effectiveness of the comparable worth concept in identifying and remedying sex-based wage discrimination. Specifically, GAO was asked: (1) whether there is any current law affecting federal pay or classification which differentiates on the basis of sex; (2) how the comparable worth concept was treated during debate on the 1963 Equal Pay Act; (3) whether the gender of private sector employees is considered when determining the pay rates of federal employees; (4) what personal statistics influence individual earnings; and (5) whether two job evaluation experts can reach different conclusions about an identical job ranking.