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Gender Differences in Comparisons and Entitlement: Implications for Comparable Worth
Author(s) -
Major Brenda
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1989.tb02362.x
Subject(s) - entitlement (fair division) , injustice , disadvantaged , toleration , social psychology , psychology , wage , demographic economics , variety (cybernetics) , earnings , labour economics , economics , political science , economic growth , law , accounting , mathematical economics , artificial intelligence , politics , computer science
This article addresses the role of comparison processes in the persistence of the gender wage gap, its toleration by those most disadvantaged by it, and resistance to comparable worth as a corrective strategy. It proposes that the gender segregation of jobs and the underpayment of women and women's jobs lead women and men to use different comparison standards when evaluating what they are entitled to receive in terms of pay for work. I argue that gender differences in entitlement contribute to toleration of injustice among underpaid female workers, foster cultural beliefs regarding what is appropriate pay for male and female workers, and serve as sources of potential bias in job evaluation plans. In addition, a variety of structural, cognitive, and affective factors encourage individuals to compare within groups, to regard ingroup members as the most relevant and legitimate comparative referents, and to inhibit the outgroup comparisons that lie at the heart of the comparable worth strategy.