Definition

Noun: A wage that is high enough to afford a basic, decent standard of living for a worker and their family. This includes the costs of essentials such as food, housing, healthcare, and transportation, allowing them to live with dignity and without severe financial hardship.

Usage

The term "living wage" is used in economic, social, and political discussions about labor, income inequality, and social justice. It refers to a calculated income level, often higher than the legal minimum wage, deemed necessary to meet basic needs in a specific geographic area. - It is commonly used with verbs like earn, pay, guarantee, advocate for, and calculate. - It is often modified by adjectives like fair, decent, true, or local.

Examples

• The organization advocates that all employers should pay a living wage.
• Many workers struggle because their jobs do not provide a living wage.
• The city council voted to require a living wage for all municipal contract workers.
• Calculating a living wage depends heavily on local housing and childcare costs.

Advanced Usage

• A living wage vs. a minimum wage: This is a common comparative framework. A "minimum wage" is a legal floor set by government, while a "living wage" is a socially-determined benchmark for adequacy.
  • Example: The national minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation and is no longer considered a living wage in most cities.
• Living wage ordinance/law: Refers to specific legislation that mandates a wage meeting the living standard criteria for certain workers.
  • Example: The new living wage ordinance will affect all businesses with city contracts.

Variants and Related Words

• Living-wage (adjective): Used attributively to describe concepts related to this principle.
  • Example: The campaign focuses on living-wage jobs.
• Wage: Payment for labor or services, typically calculated on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis.
• Subsistence wage: A wage that is barely enough to survive on, which is a contrast to a "living wage."

Synonyms

• Decent wage: A wage that provides a satisfactory standard of living.
• Fair wage: A wage considered just and equitable for the work performed.
• Family wage: (Historically used) A wage sufficient to support a family.

Antonyms

• Poverty wage: A wage that keeps a worker or family in poverty.
• Starvation wage: An extremely low, inadequate wage.
• Subminimum wage: A wage set below the standard legal minimum.

Noun

1. a wage sufficient for a worker and family to subsist comfortably