Fair Pay and the Gender Wage Gap*

Chapter 8 uses the solidarity solution to address the gender wage gap. The chapter first lays to rest a common conservative argument by showing that, even if the gender wage gap were entirely attributable to individual choice, choice alone does not justify inequalities. The chapter then speculates on ways in which the state’s choice of regulatory regime could potentially bias wages in favor of men, resulting in an unfair option set. Finally, after explaining why the solidarity solution does not justify the existing gender wage gap, the chapter concludes by arguing that proponents of pay equity or comparable worth are in fact implicitly relying on the solidarity solution—or something very much like it.