Where Do Compensation Specialists Stand on Comparable Worth?

The results of a survey of compensation professionals and their approaches to the issue of comparable worth are reported. While a male-female salary gap is recognized, specialists disagree on its causes. The approach favored by compensation professionals for decreasing the salary gap seems to be to urge women to seek nontraditional, higher-paying career paths. Compensation administrators should be able to answer charges that pay is not reflective of job worth. The survey respondents promoted several definitions of comparable worth and endorsed several strategies for assessing the objectivity of current compensation policies. There was little consensus about the most effective method for restoring pay equity in situations where bias is identified. The argument over comparable worth allows an opportunity to reassess the philosophical approach to compensation.