Women, Work, and Wages

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up With pay equity cases in the news almost daily, this is a most timely topic for detailed examination. Berger has covered all the essentials: historical clustering of ``women's'' jobs into pink-collar ghettos, the wage gap, pension inequities, sexual harassment, sex discrimination in education and some of the effects of automation on jobs traditionally held by women. Coverage is current, clear and accurate. Berger's focus is exclusively American. There is a heavy reliance on statistics, leavened with brief anecdotes and black-and-white photographs and cartoons. These are the strengths of the book. The weaknesses are not so much in content as in structure and presentation. Statistical tables are over-used and deaden the impact of Berger's analysis. Indexing beyond proper names is scanty. Berger's reportage is broken by advice on dealing with sexual harassment (helpful but intrusive). Her suggestions for further information do not indicate which sources to approach for what information. Finally, the format is dull. Because of these considerations, this is more likely to be used for research on specific topics than for continuous reading. Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria Public Library, B.C. , Canada