The segregation of women and men into sex-typed occupations is still pervasive, and is responsible for much of the gender-based pay disparities that exist. One argument for why such disparities exist is that the jobs done primarily by women involve different types of tasks than those traditionally done by men. These task differences are believed to warrant differences in wages. If this is the case, then using the market to set wages in academia becomes problematic, as individuals in these positions do exactly the same jobs. According to the Equal Pay Act, workers should receive equal wages "for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions" (29USC 206(d)).
Thus, an examination of salaries at academic institutions provides a good test of the Equal Pay Act, as faculty members perform essential the same jobs - teaching, research, advising, and service. A salary analysis on our campus revealed that men's salaries were on average over $6,000 higher than women's salaries, that men earned more than women at every faculty rank, and that newly hired men earned an average of $6,000 more than newly hired women. Thus women earned 88% of men's salaries. Additionally, the departments with the highest average salaries -- computer science, engineering, business administration, physics, geology, and math -- are all historically male fields, with most of the department members men. Thus, an examination of salaries in academia revealed gender inequities for men and women holding essentially the same job.