Comparable worth, as a standard applied to eliminate inequities in pay, insists that the values of certain tasks performed in dissimilar jobs can be compared. In the last decade, this approach has become a critical social policy issue, as large numbers of private-sector firms and industries as well as federal, state, and local governmental entities have adopted comparable worth policies or begun to consider doing so.

This widespread institutional awareness of comparable worth indicates increased public awareness that pay inequities-that is, situations in which pay is not "fair" because it does not reflect the true value of a job-exist in the labor market. However, the question still remains: have the gains already made in pay equity under comparable worth principles been of a precedent-setting nature or are they mostly transitory, a function of concessions made by employers to misled female employees into believing that they have made long-term pay equity gains?

Comparable worth pay adjustments are indeed precedent-setting. Because of the principles driving them, other mandates that can be applied to reduce or eliminate unjustified pay gaps between male and female workers have not remedied perceived pay inequities satisfactorily for the litigants in cases in which men and women hold different jobs. But whenever comparable worth principles are applied to pay schedules, perceived unjustified pay differences are eliminated. In this sense then, comparable worth is more comprehensive than other mandates, such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Neither compares tasks in dissimilar jobs (that is, jobs across occupational categories) in an effort to determine whether or not what is necessary to perform these tasks-know-how, problem-solving, and accountability-can be quantified in terms of its dollar value to the employer. Comparable worth, on the other hand, takes as its premise that certain tasks in dissimilar jobs may require a similar amount of training, effort, and skill; may carry similar responsibility; may be carried on in an environment having a similar impact upon the worker; and may have a similar dollar value to the employer.

According to the passage, comparable worth principles are different in which of the following ways from other mandates intended to reduce or eliminate pay inequities:

A) Comparable worth principles address changes in the pay schedules of male as well as female workers
B) Comparable worth principles can be applied to employees in both the public and the private sector
C) Comparable worth principles emphasize the training and skill of workers
D) Comparable worth principles require changes in the employer's resource allocation
E) Comparable worth principles can be used to quantify the value of elements of dissimilar jobs


I saw this question on my second GMAT prep test in which I scored a 690 (Q-48, V-35). I was rushed at the end of the verbal and was forced to guess on the last 5 questions (4 of which I got wrong). I think that brought down my verbal score a few points.

The official answer is E, but I answered A. I had eliminated all answer choices except E and A and guessed A, thinking that I was inferring too much if I chose E.

Any tips on how to better detect, think through these sorts of questions? I've exhausted the Reading Comprehension in OG 12 and have scored over 90% in accuracy. I feel like this answer goes against the rule of thumb of inferring as little as possible.

the biggest reason you missed this problem is because you didn't take the correct approach to it. you used the word "infer", which is NOT what you're supposed to be doing here.

this problem starts out with "according to the passage, ..."
if you see "according to the passage", you should take the answer DIRECTLY FROM WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE PASSAGE.

in this case, the question is asking how comparable worth is DIFFERENT from "other mandates". in other words, the question is asking what comparable worth policies do THAT OTHER POLICIES DON'T DO.

here, we have the following:
Because of the principles driving them, other mandates that can be applied to reduce or eliminate unjustified pay gaps between male and female workers have not remedied perceived pay inequities satisfactorily for the litigants in cases in which men and women hold different jobs.

there you have it.

that is (e).

for (a) to be correct, the passage would have to tell you that other mandates DON'T do this. that isn't in the passage.

I mistakenly picked C the first time I did this question.

I eliminated E because I the word “quantify” struck me the wrong way.

And when I looked at the words in C (Comparable worth principles emphasize the training and skill of workers), I referenced back to the passage. I thought it corresponded with the phrase, “Comparable worth, on the other hand, takes as its premise that certain tasks in dissimilar jobs may require a similar amount of training, effort, and skill….”

Reading the contrasting words, “on the other hand” and reference to training, I picked C safely. And moved on.

2nd time around, I ended up picking E. I know it may seem apparent, that it’s quantifiable, but for me it wasn’t initially.

Rereading it now, I guess this phrase below validates that “comparable worth” is quantifiable in terms of salary?

“Neither compares tasks in dissimilar jobs (that is, jobs across occupational categories) in an effort to determine whether or not what is necessary to perform these tasks-know-how, problem-solving, and accountability-can be quantified in terms of its dollar value to the employer.”

E) Comparable worth principles can be used to quantify the value of elements of dissimilar jobs

I guess the “elements” are task-know how, problem solving…”

Am I thinking about this correctly?
What could I have done differently to have realized that C was not correct the first time?
Because even though I liked E one word threw me off.

well, you can also look at the preceding sentence. it literally says (about the previous measures) that
Neither compares tasks in dissimilar jobs (that is, jobs across occupational categories) in an effort to determine whether or not what is necessary to perform these tasks-know-how, problem-solving, and accountability-can be quantified in terms of its dollar value to the employer. On the other hand...
in other words,
the previous laws didn't quantify the value of these elements for dissimilar jobs, but the new comparable worth laws did.

also, regarding (c), the passage says only that the comparable worth laws were new because they compared skill levels, etc. across dissimilar jobs. this doesn't imply that the other laws didn't treat skill levels at all (which would be required for (c) to be correct).

Which of the following best describes an application of the principles of comparable worth as they are described in the passage?

(A) The current pay, rates of increase, and rates of promotion for female mechanics are compared with those of male mechanics.
(B) The training, skills, and job experience of computer programmers in one division of a corporation are compared to those of programmers making more money in another division.
(C) The number of women holding top executive positions in a corporation is compared to the number of women available for promotion to those positions, and both tallies are matched to the tallies for men in the same corporation.
(D) The skills, training, and job responsibilities of the clerks in the township tax assessor's office are compared to those of the much better‐paid township engineers.
(E) The working conditions of female workers in a hazardous‐materials environment are reviewed and their pay schedules compared to those of all workers in similar environments across the nation

OA: D

Explain

I couldn't

A: Similar job -- not under Comparable worth -- Eliminated
B: Similar job -- not under Comparable worth -- Eliminated
C:Similar Job. training and responsibility may not be same. Eliminated.
D:
E: compared in similar environments. Passage says: may be carried on in an environment having a similar impact upon the worker. Why wrong?

I would say that one issue with E is that there is still no evidence we are comparing dissimilar jobs. A,B,C were easy to eliminate because the jobs were clearly similar. D talks about jobs that are clearly dissimilar, but E doesn't give us any reason to believe the jobs are dissimilar..

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor