What is Comparable Worth ?
‘Comparable Worth’ refers to the concept of comparing the worth of a job based on external factors rather than the actual skill level required to perform the job itself. For example, when comparing the worth of male-dominated occupations with female-dominated ones, comparable worth suggests that gender discrimination should be considered before setting the wages.
Generally, the wages for an occupation is based on the availability of skilled labourers for the job as well as the complexity of the work. However, comparable worth tries to avoid these factors while deciding the wages.
However, gender-based discrimination is one of the sad realities of the job market. Other kind of discriminations like racial profiling, language-based discrimination, etc. is a part of the job market. Hence, it seems like a good idea to include these factors too when considering base wages.