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. Section 3 of the equal pay act of 1963 amends section 6 of the fair labor standards act by adding a new subsection d. The epa does not require that the jobs be identical, but substantially similar. 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. Until the act was signed into law it was perfectly legal and common practice to openly pay women lower wages than men for the same job. In passing the bill, congress denounces sex discrimination for the following reasons. Kennedy signed the equal pay act of 1963, women were paid on average 59 cents for every dollar paid to men. Everything you need to know about the equal pay act. 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. 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. 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. In signing it into law on june 10, 1963, kennedy praised it as a significant step forward, but acknowledged that much remains to be done to achieve full equality of economic opportunity for women. Equal pay act of 1963 the encyclopedia of human resource.
Businesses can avoid discrimination towards women by hiring employees based on levels of experience, education, and aptitude, rather than basing their employee choices on a gender bias. Interestingly, the gender pay gap is relatively small. Two of the most significant are the equal pay act of 1963 and title vii of the civil rights act of 1964. The equal pay act epa was instituted in 1963 and was intended to prevent sex discrimination in wages.
The equal pay act did help to close the gap between the average. Equal pay handbook australian human rights commission. The principle was equal pay for equal work regardless of sex. The equal pay act part of the fair labor standards act prohibits wage discrimination by employers and labor organizations based solely on sex. 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. It is part of a larger architecture of fairness in wages known as the fair labor standards act flsa. The equal pay act epa prohibits sexbased wage 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. In the uk, with its equal pay act of 1970, and france, which legislated in 1972, the gap is 21% and 17% respectively, and in australia it remains around 17%.
Throughout history women have been paid less than men even when employed in the same jobs. In an effort to end genderbased discrimination in labor wages, congress enacted the equal pay act of 1963, pub. Equal pay act of 1963 simple english wikipedia, the free. The act established the requirement that women should receive equal pay for equal work. The equal pay act of 1963 is a federal law that amends the fair labor standards act. It prohibits wage disparity based solely on gender. Media in category equal pay act of 1963 the following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. 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. Women working full time, year round were typically paid only 59. What did the equal pay act of 1963 enshrine in law, and what effect did it. The epa, which is partofthe fair labor standards act of 1938. Congress passed the civil rights act the next year. The act provides a cause of action for an employee to directly sue for damages. The act made it illegal to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for similar work.
Equal pay act of 1963 equal employment opportunity. Kennedy, who at that time was president of the united states. Two major acts have been passed to eliminate gender discriirunation within the workplacethe equal pay act epa of 1963 and the civil rights act of. The concept of equal pay grew out of these circumstances, and has since been equated to lower wages paid to women. Today, women are paid an average of 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the numbers are even worse for african american women and latinas. If a male and female applied for a got the same job with the same credentials and requirements, they should be paid the same. The epa, which is part of the fair labor standards act of 1938, as amended flsa, and which is administered and enforced by the eeoc, prohibits sexbased wage. In response, unions stepped in to try to stop employers from undercutting mens wages. Under the equal pay act, the law that makes it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially equal work, an individual subject to wage discrimination must establish that 1 the employer pays different wages to employees of the. The history of this act was to end genderbased discrimination in labor wages. Equal pay act facts for kids the following fact sheet contains interesting facts and information on equal pay act. Numerous laws exist today to protect workers from wage discrimination. How did the fight for equal pay evolve over a century of united states politics.
The equal pay act of 1963 is effecting the workplace, women in the workforce, and human resource departments of all companies and businesses. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The workplace relations act 1996 provides for equal remuneration to be paid to men and women workers performing work of equal value part via, division 2. Equal pay act of 1963 united states 1963 britannica. Introduction an employee who believes that she has been the victim of sex discrimination has two separate statutory schemes available to vindicate her rights. The following is the text of the equal pay act of 1963 pub. However, the average wages given to women are still lower.
The equal pay act of 1963 generally requires covered employers to provide equal pay to persons performing the same job regardless of gender. The national war labor board first advocated equal pay for equal work in 1942, and an equal pay act was proposed in 1945. American association of university women members with president john f. Department of labors womens bureau to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1963 equal pay act.
The equal pay act of 1963 states that men and women must be given. President kennedy passed the equal pay act in 1963, hoping to give the same rights to men and women and allow for fair competition in the workplace. This infographic summarizes compensation to women in the u. Equal pay act of 1963 essay sample new york essays. Section 6 d 1 no employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than. Kennedy on june 10, 1963, was one of the first federal antidiscrimination laws that addressed wage differences based on gender. The equal pay act was among the first federal laws in american history to address gender discrimination. Learn definitions of substantially equal work in the same establishment.
It requires that men and women working for the same establishment be paid the same rate of pay for work that is substantially equal in skill, effort. The equal pay act, signed in to law by president john f. On june 10, 1963, president kennedy signed the equal pay act, as part of the fair labor standards act, into law. 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. Additional provisions of the equal pay act of 1963, as amended, are included as they appear in volume 29 of the united states code. 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. The equal pay act is a labor law that prohibits genderbased wage discrimination in the united states. Equal pay act of 1963 legal definition of equal pay act of. During this time many women joined the labor force and the fictional character rosie the riveter.
The amendment is incorporated in the revised text of the fair labor standards act. Learn about other federal discrimination laws that impact pay equity. The idea for the equal pay law arose during ww2, when many women entered the workforce while men were fighting overseas. Everything you need to know about the equal pay act icrw. Adds a provision to the fair labor standards act in the minimum wage section requiring that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. The equal pay act of 1963 is the landmark law that requires. 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. Equal employment opportunity commission minimum wage sec. Summary the purpose of equal pay act epa of 1963 is to prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employees. What ensued after a decadeslong fight was the equal pay act of 1963, signed into the nations employment laws by president john f. In short, the equal pay act epa prohibits pay discrimination based. Learn about the employers defenses to allegations of equal pay act violations. The equal pay act of 1963 is the landmark law that requires employers to pay male and female employees equally for substantially equal work. This video gives an overview of the equal pay act of 1963.
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