"(National Bureau of Economic Research, 2001) Analysis of this period was conducted with data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and findings indicate that women "were able to more than overcome the effect of adverse shifts in overall wage structure (that is rising labor-market returns to skills and to employment in high-paying male sectors) on their relative wages by improving their qualifications relative to men. So, although on average women continue to have less labor-market experience than men, they have narrowed the gender difference in experience considerably. They also have upgraded their occupations relative to men's, as they moved out of clerical and service occupations and into professional and managerial jobs. Women also have benefited from a decrease in the "unexplained" pay gap. Such a shift may reflect an upgrading of women's unmeasured labor-market skills, a decline in labor market discrimination against women, or a shift in labor market demand favoring women over men. Indeed all of these factors may well have played a role, and all appear credible during this period." (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2001) Since the relative level of measured skills of women as demonstrated by the narrowing of the gap in full-time job experience, it is plausible that they also enhanced their relative level of unmeasured skills." (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2001) This ultimately has raised the comparable worth of women in the workforce. III. TREATMENT of WOMEN in GENDER PAY GAP

International differences in the gender pay gap in the work of the NBER is stated to address the paradox of "while the relative qualification of U.S. women are high compared with those women in other countries and the United States has had a longer and often stronger commitment to antidiscrimination laws than most industrialized nations, the United States has long been among the countries with the largest gender gaps. The especially rapid narrowing of the gender pay gap that occurred in the United States during the 1980s moved it closer to the middle of the pack, but one might still question why U.S....

Our analysis of these international differences - particularly the relatively low ranking of the United States - indicates that wage-setting institutions differ considerably by country. These differences have implications for wage structures and hence, for wage inequality and the gender-earnings ratio. The manner in which wages are determined may be highly centralized, as is true in many other OECD countries. These countries have very strong unions; and wages in both the union and nonunion sector are often determined largely by a collective bargaining process." (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2001) This is an example of the concept of the 'treatment' of women and the resulting gender pay gap that exists.
SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

The concepts of the differences in human capital investments or other qualifications; and the concept of labor market discrimination or differences in the treatment of men and women who are equally qualified for the job both serve as explanation of the gender pay gap that exists. While these two factors have resulted in women historically and traditionally receiving less pay for the same work as men, women have made inroads in reducing the gender pay gap and this combined with legislation and regulations regarding gender pay gaps have and will serve to even the ante in the difference in pay between men and women in the workforce. (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2001)

Bibliography

Gender Pay Gap Nothing to do with Discrimination (2008) Management-Issues. 21 Oct 2008. Online available at http://www.management-issues.com/2008/10/21/research/gender-pay-gap-nothing-to-do-with-discrimination.asp

Blau, Francine D. And Kahn, Lawrence M. (2001) the Gender Pay Gap. National Bureau of Economic Research. Summer 2001. Online available at http://www.nber.org/reporter/summer01/blaukahn.html

Behind the Pay Gap Press Release (2007) AAUW. 23 Apr 2007. Online available at http://www.aauw.org/about/newsroom//pressreleases/042307_paygap.cfm