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Occupational segregation, and especially the undervaluation of care work, is a major contributor to gender and racial wage gaps. Sixty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women, and particularly women of color, are still far from pay equity. Unlike in most other countries, the Equal Pay Act only protects workers doing the same work, but not workers who do different work of equal or comparable value. This webinar discussed comparable value as a strategy for highlighting and tackling the underpayment of care work through research, policy development, sector bargaining, and advocacy. Highlighted were two new studies about the underpayment of non-profit human services workers, and an example of how sector bargaining was used to get higher pay for care workers.
Speakers:
James Parrott, Center for New York City Affairs at the New School
Jennie Romich, West Coast Poverty Center and School of Social Work, University of Washington
Meg Smith, School of Business, Western Sydney University, Australia
Deborah J. Vagins, National Campaign Director & Director of Equal Pay Today (welcome)
Ariane Hegewisch, Institute for Women’s Policy Research (moderator)