Sex Differences in Compensation

Five hypotheses explaining differences in pay between men and women were examined: wage discrimination, occupational wage levels, job choice and working conditions, fringe benefits, and qualifications and productivity of women. Data were from a 1969 survey of working conditions of American workers. A difference of /5, 000 was found in mean pay between women and men working full time in 1969. The difference was only 2, 500 among nonprofessional workers, aged 22-64, with a steady job and working the same number of hours. About 42 percent of the men, compared to 27 percent of the women, reported their jobs exposed them to physical dangers or unhealthy conditions. The most important reason for the difference in the average pay of men and women is the clustering of women in lower paying jobs.