Survival finance and the politics of equal pay

Abstract

Wage gaps constitute a major component of workplace inequality. While scholars have explored the causes and consequences of differences in pay, very few question the basic presumption that workers are paid differently in the first place. Drawing on ethnographic research in a worker cooperative with a policy of equal pay, this article analyses how the organization compensated its members in the context of low wages, economic uncertainty, and insufficient social benefits. Over time, I found that members justified small variations that led to wage difference without amending their commitment to pay equity. This was made possible through a system of survival finance, a set of compensation practices that supports the reproduction of both individual members and the organization as a whole. Whereas members understood money wages as market-based incentives for labor, the cooperative enacted its principles of equality and fairness by compensating members with alternative currencies (time) and additional benefits (zero interest rate credit) to help make ends meet. The article concludes by reflecting on the challenges of equalizing pay and its implications for reducing workplace inequality.