Markets, Firms, and the Gender Pay Gap

Tom Parr (University of Warwick)

Abstract: Assuming that the gender pay gap is unjust, what are the corresponding responsibilities of firms, in particular, to eliminate their own gender pay gap? In this presentation, I challenge the extremely popular, and seemingly modest, claim that firms are normally required by justice to pay their staff equally for performing equal work. This result is philosophically significant in itself, but legally and politically significant because it casts some doubt over the justifiability of a range of widely-adopted measures whose purpose is to equalize pay within firms, including equal pay laws and mandatory pay gap reporting. At first glance, these conclusions may appear reactionary and, indeed, highly inimical to the feminist project. However, I contend that these charges overlook the intersectional feminist credentials of my view, which prioritizes the interests of disadvantaged women.