Research data indicate that there is a great deal of poverty in the

Question

Research data indicate that there is a great deal of poverty in the United States among single parent families headed by women. This problem could result from the fact that women’s wages are only 60 percent of men’s. Some economists believe that rigorous enforcement of existing equal pay laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity. But equal pay laws are ineffectual when women and men are concentrated in different occupations because such laws require only that women and men doing the same jobs be paid the same. Since gender concentration exists (for example, 80 percent of clerical workers are women), other economists argue that a comparable worth standard, which would mandate that women and men in any jobs that require comparable training and responsibility be paid the same, should be applied instead. But some  policy analysts  assert that, although comparable worth would virtually equalize male and female wages, many single parent families headed by women would remain in poverty because many men earn wages that are below the poverty line. These policy analysts believe that the problem is not caused primarily by wage inequity but rather by low wages coupled with single parent hood, regardless of sex. As a solution, they challenge the government’s assumption that a family’s income should depend primarily on wages and urge the government to provide generous wage supplements (child and housing allowances) to single parents whose wages are low.   1 
 1. The passage suggests that the United States government’s policy towards providing wage supplements to parents whose wages are low is

(A) considered ill advised by most economists who have studied the issue
(B) based on assumptions about the appropriate sources of family income
(C) under revision in response to criticism from some policy analysts
(D) capable of eliminating wage inequality but not of raising incomes for both women and men
(E) applicable to single-parent families headed by women but not to single-parent families headed by men

2 
 2. Which of the following is most clearly an example of the policy advocated by the policy analysts mentioned in line 8 ?

(A) A government provides training to women who wish to move out of occupations in which women are concentrated.
(B) A government supports research that analyzes the connection between wage inequality and poverty among single-parent families headed by women.
(C) A government surveys wages annually to make certain that women and men in the same jobs receive the same pay.
(D) A government analyzes jobs in terms of the education and responsibility they require and publishes a list of jobs that should be considered equivalent for wage purposes.
(E) A government provides large rent subsidies to single parents whose wages are less than half the average worker’s wage.

3 
 3.According to the passage, some economists believe that, in the United States, there would be smaller differences between the wages of women and men who do the same jobs if

(A) equal pay laws were enforced more fully
(B) more stringent equal pay laws were passed
(C) a more rigorous comparable worth standard were developed and applied
(D) more men entered the occupations in which women are concentrated
(E) women received the same kind and amount of job training that men receive

keats · Accepted Answer

Read the question carefully. It says "According to the passage, some economists believe that, in the United States, there would be smaller differences between the wages of women and men  who do the same jobs  if

Comparable worth comes into picture when we compare men and women who are in different occupations. Here, the question compares men and women who are in the same job and for that economists note " Some economists believe that  rigorous enforcement of existing equal pay laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity  "

This is why "C" is incorrect and "A" is correct.

Skywalker18 · Answer

Took 6 mins 40 seconds , including 2 mins 40 seconds to read . All correct

1. The passage suggests that the United States government’s policy towards providing wage supplements to parents whose wages are low is
As a solution, they challenge the governent’s assumption that a family’s income should depend primarily on wages and urge the government to provide generous wage supplements
(child and housing allowances) to single parents whose wages are low.
B. based on assumptions about the appropriate sources of family income - Correct

2. Which of the following is most clearly an example of the policy advocated by the policy analysts mentioned in line 8 ?
 But some policy analysts assert that, although comparable worth would virtually equalize male and female wages, many single parent families headed by women would remain in poverty because many men earn wages that are below the poverty line.  These policy analysts believe that the problem is not caused primarily by wage inequity but rather by low wages coupled with single parent hood, regardless of sex. 
E. A government provides large rent subsidies to single parents whose wages are less than half the average worker’s wage. - Correct

3.According to the passage, some economists believe that, in the United States, there would be smaller differences between the wages of women and men who do the same jobs if
This problem could result from the fact that women’s wages are only 60 percent of men’s. Some economists believe that rigorous enforcement of existing equal pay laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity.
A. equal pay laws were enforced more fully

johng2016 · Answer

Hey guys, about the third question, why it is not C ?
It is quite clear with A, but I'm not satisfied. 
 
In the passage:
"Some economists believe that rigorous enforcement of existing equal pay laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity.............................Since gender concentration exists......,  other economists argue that a comparable worth standard , which..............., should be applied instead ."

khv · Answer

can anyone please explain question number 2?
regards,
Harsh Vardhan

ChongHK · Answer

Question is asking should these policy analysts were to create a action plan, what will it be?

policy analysts  assert that, although comparable
worth would virtually equalize male and female wages, many single parent families headed by women would remain in poverty because many men earn wages that are below the poverty line. These policy analysts believe that the problem is not caused primarily by wage inequity but rather by low wages coupled with single parent hood, regardless of sex. As a
solution,  they  challenge the governent’s assumption that a family’s income should depend primarily on wages and  urge the government to provide generous wage supplements
(child and housing allowances) to single parents whose wages are low.

They( Policy analysts) urge the government to provide supplements which complements Ans E

keats · Answer

khv

Which of the following is most clearly an example of the policy (  regardless of sex, provide supplements so that they may not have to rely solely on wages ) advocated by the policy analysts mentioned in the highlighted portion?

A. A government provides training to women who wish to move out of occupations in which women are concentrated 
 the policy has nothing to do with the desires of anyone … moreover it is for both men and women WHO are single parents 
B. A government supports research that analyzes the connection between wage inequality and poverty among single-parent families headed by women
 the policy in the passage has everything to do with implementation and little to do with research 
C. A government surveys wages annually to make certain that women and men in the same jobs receive the same pay 
 the policy is more about supplements rather than addressing inequity 
D. A government analyzes jobs in terms of the education and responsibility they require and publishes a list of jobs that should be considered equivalent for wage purposes 
 again the policy is more about supplements rather than doing away with inequity … education as a measure of judging jobs to be equivalent wage wise is not confirmed from the passage which mentions ‘training and responsibility' 
E. A government provides large rent subsidies to single parents whose wages are less than half the average worker’s wage … 
 a supplement (additional source of income) to single parents regardless of sex … perfect match … CORRECT

ADiCR7 · Answer

The answer to Question 3 is option B, I think, because according to the passage more "rigorous enforcement of equal pay laws" means more stringent (of regulations, requirements, or conditions) strict, precise, and exacting.

Could you please clarify this?

Could you please clarify this?

GMATNinja · Answer

We don't need to pass  new  laws to decrease this wage difference. We already have laws requiring that women and men doing the same jobs be paid the same. Thus, some economists believe that rigorous enforcement of EXISTING laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity. New laws are not needed.

I hope that helps!

mrinal0308 · Answer

Lets breakdown the passage:
Research data says that single headed families led by women are poor.
women's wages << men's
Some eco believe : inequality can be sorted if men=women=same jobs
But, other PA's view: wages should be regardless of gender bcz sometimes, men also earn less, so single headed families led by those men are also poor.

1. The passage suggests that the United States government’s policy towards providing wage supplements to parents whose wages are low is

A. considered ill advised by most economists who have studied the issue
--> passage mentiones some economists. Eliminate

B. based on assumptions about the appropriate sources of family income
--> Correct. See last few lines on assumption.

C. under revision in response to criticism from some policy analysts
--> PA's are not critising anything

D. capable of eliminating wage inequality but not of raising incomes for both women and men
--> Extreme. This is no where discussed concretely.

E. applicable to single-parent families headed by women but not to single-parent families headed by men
--> Extreme.

2. Which of the following is most clearly an example of the policy advocated by the policy analysts mentioned in line 8 ?
---> As per PA's. the wages should be irrespective of gender.

A. A government provides training to women who wish to move out of occupations in which women are concentrated.
--> talks only about women. Also, what training will do ?

B. A government supports research that analyzes the connection between wage inequality and poverty among single-parent families headed by women.
--> same as A. What the research will do ?

C. A government surveys wages annually to make certain that women and men in the same jobs receive the same pay.
--> this is "Some economists" view. Anyways, surveys will do no better.

D. A government analyzes jobs in terms of the education and responsibility they require and publishes a list of jobs that should be considered equivalent for wage purposes.
--> what after analysing ? :p

E. A government provides large rent subsidies to single parents whose wages are less than half the average worker’s wage.
--> an action is described here. Also it talks about single parents in general, which supports PA's view. Correct.

3.According to the passage, some economists believe that, in the United States, there would be smaller differences between the wages of women and men who do the same jobs if
A. equal pay laws were enforced more fully
--> passage talks about enforcing existing equal pay laws. Correct.

B. more stringent equal pay laws were passed
--> reasons explained in A. This means that new stringent laws to be passed, which is wrong.

C. a more rigorous comparable worth standard were developed and applied
D. more men entered the occupations in which women are concentrated
E. women received the same kind and amount of job training that men receive

C,D,E are irrelevant.

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JS1290 · Answer

GMATNinja   GMATNinja Two

Hi GMATNinja,

Could you please explain what is the difference between option A and B for Q3? It took me a really long time to solve this question because I couldn't decide between A and B.

neetis5 · Answer

Hi csaluja , Let's take a look at Question 3: According to the passage, some economists believe that, in the United States, there would be smaller differences between the wages of women and men who do the same jobs if Choice A: equal pay laws were enforced more fully Choice B: more stringent equal pay laws were passed The main difference between choice A and B is that the first one talks about enforcing existing laws and the second one talks about passing new laws . If you look at the relevant portion of the passage, the economists do not talk about new laws at all. They are of the opinion that the current laws need to applied thoroughly/properly/fully. Sentence 3: Some economists believe that rigorous enforcement of existing equal pay laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity. I hope the above analysis helps!

Cheers! NS

admission2020 · Answer

GMATNinja  How is B correct? The assumption is an independent one and the government's policy is not based on this assumption. Shouldn't the answer instead be D (I eliminated other four)?

GMATNinja · Answer

Take another look at the relevant piece of the passage:
 
The phrase "the  government's  assumption" tells of that the government is, indeed, the entity assuming that "a family’s income should depend primarily on wages." Based on this assumption, the government currently does not provide generous wage supplements to single parents whose wages are low. While independent policy analysts are  challenging  this assumption, the assumption itself comes from the government and informs the government's current policy. (B) is the correct answer.

Now look at (D):
 
As stated above, the government currently does  not  provide generous wage supplements, so there is no evidence in the passage to support that the policy impacts either wage inequality or income level at all. In addition, such supplements would not necessarily be capable of eliminating wage inequality -- other measures, such as enforcing equal pay laws and shifting to the comparable worth standard, are noted in the passage as potential avenues toward that goal. The policy analysts are urging the government to provide wage supplements not to address wage inequality, but to solve the issue of "low wages coupled with single parenthood, regardless of sex."

For these reasons, we can eliminate (D).

I hope that helps!

rashwiniyer · Answer

Referring to the line - "Since gender concentration exists (for example, 80 percent of clerical workers are women), other economists argue that a comparable worth standard, which would mandate that women and men in any jobs that require comparable training and responsibility be paid the same, should be applied instead"

what is wrong with option E of Q3?

what is wrong with option E of Q3?

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 3 
 
According to the bit of the passage that you've quoted, "comparable worth" means that people who are ALREADY in different jobs that require the same amount of training should be paid the same. For instance, if it takes six months to become a clerk and six months to become a taxi driver, then clerks and taxi drivers should be paid equally.

So, no one in the passage is arguing that "women   the same kind and amount of job training that men receive," as stated in (E). They just think that women who ALREADY have the same amount of training as men should be paid equally, even if they are working in different roles.

(E) is out for question 3.

I hope that helps!

agrasan · Answer

Hi experts  KarishmaB   GMATNinja   MartyMurray   IanStewart

In question-3, could you please why option D is wrong?
My reasoning is that we are given in the passage that same jobs will pay same wages so lower wage inequality -  "But equal pay laws are ineffectual when women and men are concentrated in different occupations because such laws require only that women and men doing the same jobs be paid the same."

Option D says that if more men have same jobs as women, then this should help to reduce wage inequality, right?
Is it wrong because passage doesn't provide us an info on a  proportional relationship  for the  scenario when more men enters the same occupation as women ?

Please let me know where I am going wrong.

IanStewart · Answer

I think you have rephrased the question -- the question you are answering is something like "According to the passage, wage inequity would be reduced if which of the following were true?"

But the question says: "  According to the passage,   some economists believe that " wage equity would reduced if which of the following was true?

So you need to find something that the passage tells you some economists actually believe. And the only thing we're told about what some economists believe is this: "Some economists believe that rigorous enforcement of existing equal pay laws would substantially decrease this wage inequity", which is almost exactly what answer A says.

Research data indicate that there is a great deal of poverty in the

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Research data indicate that there is a great deal of poverty in the

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