Final answer:
Conventional equal pay legislation, particularly the Equal Pay Act of 1963, requires that employers provide equal pay for equal work within the same establishment. Despite legislation and efforts to address wage disparities, a gender pay gap persists, leading to calls for more government action.
Step-by-step explanation:
Conventional equal pay legislation such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 mandates that equal pay for equal work must be provided within the same establishment. This means that men and women working for the same employer must be paid equally when performing jobs that require equivalent skill, effort, responsibility, and are conducted under similar working conditions. While this legislation has helped to narrow the wage gap between genders, persistent inequities still exist. In instances where studies adjusted for factors like education, work experience, and occupation, they found that a gender pay gap still remains, albeit smaller than often reported. The Department of Labor's 2007 study found that this adjusted gender wage gap is about 5%.
The doctrine of comparable worth extends beyond the same establishment and argues that individuals should be paid equally for work that requires similar skills, responsibilities, and effort across different jobs, potentially even across industries. Despite this expanded idea, conventional legislation typically focuses on equal pay within the same employer. Although gender discrimination continues to impact economic equality, efforts for further government action to ensure equal pay continue.