I am a female who works for a high school district. My job requires that I have specific skills and education, as do all the positions. However, the district that I work for seems to put more emphasis on physical -vs- mental duties. For instance:

A "Maintenance Worker 1", is required to have any combination equivalent to graduation from high school and one year general maintenance or related experience.
On the other hand, I am required to have any combination equivalent to graduation from high school, supplemented by college-level course work in computer science or related field, AND two years related experience.
Salary for Maintenance Worker 1 = $2,409 per month
Salary for Me = $2,129 per month

Why are his skills more valued and have more worth than mine? Please help me! I'm not getting anywhere with my union or our personnel dept.. What can I do? I appreciate your help and assistance. Thank you!

Thanks for your note to FEMINIST.COM. The short answer to your situation is sexism. The best articulation of this scenario that I have seen is in Gloria Steinem's essay "Revaluing Economics," which can be found in her book Moving Beyond Words . In this essay she references feminist attempts at "equal pay for work of equal value." Although your situation makes clear that we aren't there yet--I do think that we are taking baby steps in that direction. Since you don't seem to be getting anywhere with your union--perhaps the U.S. Department of Labor should be your next call. They have a "women's bureau." I hope this helps and that your seeking out a solution will pave the way for yourself and others.
—Amy