Everything you need to know about the equal pay act icrw. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the united states of america in congress assembled, that this act may be cited as the equal pay act of 1963. The equal pay act was officially signed into law by president john f kennedy on june 10 th, 1963. According to the equal employment opportunity commission eeoc, its job content, not job titles, that determines if jobs are equal. Equal pay act of 1963 simple english wikipedia, the free. The equal pay act of 1963 is a federal law that amends the fair labor standards act. Download free pdf order legisbrief subscription ncsl bookstore legisbriefs home page. In passing the bill, congress denounces sex discrimination for the following reasons.
Check your understanding of the factors and details of the equal pay act with an interactive quiz and printable worksheet. Kennedy, who at that time was president of the united states. Congress included within the text of the epa a clear and concise policy statement and briefly described the problems it was intended to remedy. Equal pay and the wage gap the equal pay act of 1963. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the. Kennedy on june 10, 1963, was one of the first federal antidiscrimination laws that addressed wage differences based on gender.
The equal pay act, signed in to law by president john f. Congress passed the civil rights act the next year. However, the average wages given to women are still lower. It is part of a larger architecture of fairness in wages known as the fair labor standards act flsa. Equal pay act john f kennedy was the 35th president who served in office from january 20,1961 to november 22, 1963. Everything you need to know about the equal pay act. The epa, which is part of the fair labor standards act of 1938, as amended flsa, and which is administered and. The equal pay act is a labor law that prohibits genderbased wage discrimination in the united states. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title equal pay act.
The equal pay act of 1963 requires equal pay for both men and women in jobs that entail equal skill, equal effort, equal responsibility, or similar working conditions. To prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce. See how the right technology and expertise can help you make a difference. Pdf faculty title vii and equal pay act cases in the twentyfirst. Equal pay act of 1963 legal definition of equal pay act of. The principle was equal pay for equal work regardless of sex. Equal pay legislation and the gender wage gap iza world of labor. Equal pay act of 1963 equal employment opportunity. The equal pay act of 1963 epa, the first modern employment discrimination statute, was inspired by the warlabor boards effort during world war ii to equalize pay between men and women.
When the law was originally drafted, it called for equal pay for comparable work. Kennedy signed the equal pay act, amending the earlier fair labor standards act of 1938, to prohibit discrimination. Fifty years ago this week, on june 10, 1963, president john f. Equal pay for women was an issue that many felt was important. American association of university women members with president john f. It was generally accepted in the united states that men deserved to earn more money than women do, even if their work was identical. The equal pay act works in conjunction with the civil rights act to prohibit sexbased discrimination in employment compensation. What ensued after a decadeslong fight was the equal pay act of 1963, signed into the nations employment laws by president john f. Equal pay act of 1963 united states 1963 britannica. This pay disparity between men and women exists even when women hold similar. The equal pay act of 1963 was an amendment to the united states fair labor standards act, which is the law that governs hiring, pay, and working conditions for the countrys employees. The purpose of equal pay act epa of 1963 is to prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employees engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce. It prohibits wage disparity based solely on gender.
Some say, at the current rate, women will not achieve equal pay until the year 2050. In 1963, congress passed the equal pay act as an amendment to the fair labor standards act, to prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers. On june 10, 1963, president kennedy signed the equal pay act, as part of the fair labor standards act, into law. Equal pay act of 1963 the encyclopedia of human resource. Facts about equal pay and compensation discrimination.
The epa prohibits employers from paying different wages to employees of different sexes, if their respective jobs require equal skill, effort and responsibility and. Even after 50 years, human resource departments are still deeply affected by the equal pay act of 1963 and have yet to overcome many obstacles preventing equal pay. Anthony center partners with the coalition on pay equity c. The national war labor board first advocated equal pay for equal work in 1942, and an equal pay act was proposed in 1945. The act provides a cause of action for an employee to directly sue for damages. This form of discrimination became a common problem until the equal pay act of 1963 was implemented. Learn equal pay act of 1963 with free interactive flashcards. The epa prohibits agencies from paying employees of one sex lower wages than those of the opposite sex for equal work performed under similar working conditions. In the following excerpts from the portaltoportal act of 1947, the authority given to the secretary of labor is exercised by the equal employment opportunity commission for purposes of enforcing the equal pay act of 1963. This act made it illegal to pay men and women different wages for the same work. Since the epa is an amendment to the fair labor standards act flsa, the law prohibits employers from retaliating against an employee who files a claim under the epa or cooperates with an investigation of. Article information, pdf download for the equal pay act.
The goal of the equal pay act of 1963 and the civil rights act of 1964 was to. The equal pay act of 1963 equal pay act was an amendment to the fair labor standards act and a precursor to the civil rights act. The right of employees to be free from discrimination in their compensation is protected under several federal laws, including the following enforced by the u. Issued on the 35th anniversary of the signing of the equal pay act 1963, this report is a historical analysis of the economic trends affecting women workers. The act was intended to prohibit discrimination due to sex in the payment of wages by employers engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce pagewise, inc.
The equal pay act epa was instituted in 1963 and was intended to prevent sex discrimination in wages. The equal pay act of 1963 is a united states federal law amending the fair labor standards act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex. In short, the equal pay act epa prohibits pay discrimination based. Additional provisions of the equal pay act of 1963, as amended, are included as they appear in volume 29 of the united states code. On june 10, 1963, the equal pay act was passed by congress declaring that women and men must receive equal pay for equal work. The first section provides an overview of the equal pay act, summarizing the acts main. Equal pay act of 1963 the equal pay act of 1963 established the requirements that women should receive equal pay for their amount of work. The equal pay act of 1963 is a united states labor law amending the fair labor standards act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex see gender. The equal pay act of 1963 states that men and women must be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Signed by president kennedy in 1963 as an amendment to the fair labor standards act, the law. The history of this act was to end genderbased discrimination in labor wages. The act made it illegal to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for similar work. Equal pay act, 1963 on the one hand are people who do not believe in the existence of the wage gap.
Throughout history women have been paid less than men even when employed in the same jobs. What has been the effect of the law after forty years. The equal pay act epa prohibits sexbased wage discrimination. The best resources on the equal pay act of 1963 mint. President obama on the lilly ledbetter fair pay act and equal pay for all workers duration. Equal pay act of 1963, also known as public law 8838, 88th congress, s. Media in category equal pay act of 1963 the following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. The epaprohibits sexbased wage discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility under similar. The act established the requirement that women should receive equal pay for equal work. The equal pay act of 1963throughout history, women have been paid less than men have, even when employed in identical jobs. The center is proud to host and cosponsor events during the annual.
Such alleged conduct violates the equal pay act of 1963 epa and title vii of the civil rights act of 1964. In an effort to end genderbased discrimination in labor wages, congress enacted the equal pay act of 1963, pub. In 1963, congress passed the equal pay act, which made it illegal for employers to pay women lower wages than men for equal work on jobs requiring the same skill, effort and responsibility. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline viewing. In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the commission has closed its physical offices to the public beginning march 25, 2020. One of the important events during his presidency was the equal pay act prohibited sex discrimination genderbased discrimination by employers. The equal pay act epa requires that all employees, regardless of gender, are given equal pay for equal work. The equal pay act of 1963 epa requires that men and women receive equal pay for equal work.
342 1462 60 852 749 150 529 1354 692 150 942 946 1023 1515 735 183 1629 1196 1664 672 155 507 569 681 678 264 312 532 470 684 1159 751 193 142 1057 188