Social Construction of Skill

Abstract

Conventional definitions of skill have been challenged by comparable worth. The pressures that contribute to simple definitions of skill are uncovered through an identification of the major sources of gender bias in job evaluation systems. Actual pay equity initiatives are examined to highlight the conflictual process by which new definitions of skill are socially constructed or blocked through political action. Research on comparable worth offers a unique opportunity to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the power relations that maintain the gendered character of the labor market.