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National Committee
on Pay Equity
Real Life Example of Equivalent Jobs
The following examples of equivalent jobs were selected from the experiences
of employers from the United States and Canada that have evaluated how the
level of skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions of women’s jobs
compare to men’s jobs. The following jobs were deemed equivalent, yet the
women’s jobs were paid much less than the men’s positions. An important
note: equivalent jobs will vary from employer to employer
State of Minnesota Pay Equity Study
In 1982 the state implemented a progressive pay equity plan for its state employees. The plan is based on
a job evaluation system that found that women were segregated into historically female dominated jobs.
The women’s jobs paid 20 percent less on average than male dominated jobs, even when their jobs scored
equally on the job evaluation system. Pay equity wage adjustments were phased in over four years at a
cost of 3.7 percent of overall payroll. The average pay increase was $200 per month for women in female
dominated jobs. The wage gap for women’s jobs has closed by approximately nine percent, and there has
been no loss in total number of jobs for women or men employed with the state.
Sex
Class Title
Monthly Salary
Monthly Gap
Male
Delivery Van Driver
$1,382
Female
Clerk Typist 2
$1,115
-$267
Male
Automotive Parts Tech
$1,505
Female
Dining Hall Coordinator
$1,202
-$303
Male
Corrections Agent Senior
$1,961
Female
Registered Nurse
$1,723
-$238
Male
Grain Sampler
$1,552
Female
Microfilmer
$1,115
-$437
Male
Radio Comm. Supervisor
$1,834
Female
Typing Pool Supervisor
$1,373
-$461
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State of Wisconsin Pay Equity Study
Wisconsin conducted a pay equity study using a point system that evaluated skill, effort, responsibility,
and working conditions in 1986. They found when jobs were of equal or comparable value, the
occupation with the high