EQUAL PAY: PROGRESS AND PROBLEMS (AMERICA)

In 1970, the median earnings of American women employed on a full-time basis were approximately 60 percent of men's earnings. This figure, taken from the Current Population Reports of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is circulated widely by individuals concerned with pay inequities in the labor market. Unfortunately, it is sometimes used without qualification, tending to cloud the problem of equal pay for equal work. Some writers fail to mention that the Commerce Department's figure relates to all workers in diverse occupations.