Entre mérito e desigualdade: o dilema de Elisa na MinasTech

Abstract

This paper presents a teaching case study on pay equity in the organizational setting, set at MinasTech, a plausible fictional company in the technology sector located in Minas Gerais. The case follows the career path of Elisa Carvalho, administrative and financial coordinator and the only woman among seven professionals in coordinating positions at the same hierarchical level. Although she has held the position for four years, achieved her goals at least as well as her male colleagues, and replaced a man with a higher salary in the same role, Elisa receives the lowest base salary in the group. Variable compensation components play a secondary role in this study. The case also offers an opportunity to analyze how the informal expectation of constant availability for messages, emergencies, travel, and overtime—without proper compensation—affects professional recognition and development. The case was constructed using secondary data, legal documents, institutional reports, and academic literature on pay equity, the gender division of labor, the glass ceiling, the sticky floor, organizational meritocracy, and pay transparency. As a contribution, the case study aims to stimulate critical analysis, argumentation, and decision-making in the classroom, particularly in courses related to Business Administration, Human Resources Management, Labor Law, Organizational Ethics, Diversity, and Organizational Studies.