ABSTRACT
the principle “equal pay for equal work” together with its converse “unequal pay for unequal work” are part of the problem of relative wages, and are closely related to job evaluation and merit rating which are discussed in another chapter. They can be stated in a more generalized form, that payment should be proportionate to work done. Equal pay for equal work seems so fair that it might be expected to command general agreement and universal application, yet many difficulties are met in putting it into practice. They mainly arise in trying to decide, in the complexities of industrial processes and methods, what is “equal work.” Controversy over the adoption of the principle has been most acute on the relation between the pay of men and women, and in many discussions this is the sole problem considered, and the principle is used as a slogan in the campaign against sex discrimination in the fixing of wages. The problem, however, is wider, as many jobs done by men are paid unequally though the work is equal.
