Pay discrimination as a discursive and material practice: A case concerning extended housework

Abstract

Abstract Based on the premise that past and current theories of pay discrimination fail to explain women's continued economic deprivation, a theory of extended housework is advanced and illustrated through responses from women employed in paid positions. Specifically, this theory views communication, not as an independent nor as a dependent variable, but as an integral aspect of pay inequity. Market theories, critical theories, and feminist theories concerning pay inequity are reviewed with special emphasis on how these theories position communication with the practice of pay inequity. Fifty women working at paid occupations were interviewed. Their responses shed light upon how pay inequity articulates patriarchal conditions often hidden behind the ‘rationality’ of capitalism. Implications for future research are discussed.