When looking at overall differences in earnings, women made 73 cents on the dollar compared to men, and minority workers were paid 75 cents on the dollar compared to white workers. The study points to occupational segregation as a leading determinant in wage differences. Occupational segregation is a practice that has been challenged in several major wage discrimination lawsuits recently. In a lawsuit against Home Depot for example, women charged they were denied promotions from cashier jobs to sales positions. Other discrimination settlements have underscored the difficulty women face in being hired in male-dominated professions.
Lawmakers call for action.
She asked the Labor Department to conduct compliance reviews of federal contractors that may be in violation of federal law because the pay gap between male and female workers is significantly greater than the average gap. She also asked the General Accounting Office to investigate the experience of the 20 states that have reduced the gap between female and male wages in jobs that are different in content but equivalent in essential work characteristics and to indicate the effect on state budgets and economies. Labor Department Disputes Study. In a statement issued on Equal Pay Day, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao expressed concern about the study released at the news conference, saying it contained data that the previous administration had criticized as incorrect. However, according to Senator Harkin's staff, former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman did finalize the report.