The debate of equal pay between men and women has been an ongoing issue for years and is still being debated to this day, the belief that men deserve to be paid more than women solely based on gender, is an outdated opinion that is being addressed through different types of legal laws. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was "the first step towards an adjustment of balance in pay for women (EEOC, n.d.). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is an amendment of the Fair Labor Standards Acts, a federal statute of the United States. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a U.S. federal law enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and aimed at ending wage mismatch based on sex. . The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed into law on June 10, 1963, by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program (EEOC, n.d.). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 enforced that, Employers …show more content…
Pay differentials are permitted, when they are based on seniority, merit, quantity or quality of production, or a factor other than sex. These are known as "affirmative defenses,” Employers have the task of proving factors other than gender are the reason for pay differentials (SHRM.org, n.d.). Congress expressed that sex discrimination, depresses wages and living standards for employees necessary for their health and efficiency, prevents the maximum utilization of the available labor resources, tends to cause labor disputes, thereby burdening, affecting, and obstructing commerce, burdens commerce and the free flow of goods in commerce, and constitutes an unfair method of competition (Wikipedia, n.d.). Due to the growth of women furthering their education and interring into the workforce obtaining positions generally held by men, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 is vital in making sure women are being treated and equally compensated for the work they do in occupations traditionally dominated by men. I guess some of you could have probably guessed why I would pick this law, especially after the first
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was influential in creating a progressive environment which would contribute to creating a fairer world for all. The Act was instrumental in changing the thought process of Americans at the time, and is responsible for supporting equal pay in the workplace. Gender equality pay is an issue people have been fighting over for years, but when the Equal Pay Act of 1963 passed, it certainly aided in the fight for equality for all. (Salem Press Encyclopedia)
According to statistics, there are disparities with pay in the workplace. Men are paid more in wages, comprehensive packages, and benefits than women who performed the same job responsibilities and roles in the workplace. The big question is why are women being unvalued? Since, this is a common practice in the workplace, is this fair to both genders and is this the most favorable outcome for the greatest number affected by this business practice? The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was passed to eliminate this type of discrimination based on sex with paying wages to employees, in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which pays, wages to employees of the opposite sex for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions.
Women’s Civil Rights has always been an issue around the world. During World War II, women began working while the men were away at war. Once the men came back, the pay wage began between men and women. According to researchers, Beth Rowen and Borgna Brunner, between 1950 and 1960, women who had worked full-time jobs only earned around 60 cents to every dollar that their male counterparts earned. It was not until June 10, 1963 that the Equal Pay Act was passed by President Kennedy making it illegal for employers to pay women less than men in the same job title. In order to further progress of pay equity, Rosa Cho from Re:Gender.org, also found that President Kennedy proposed a Civil Rights Act to prohibit
Gender equality is something that has been a problem through the ages. Susan B. Anthony and many others fought for the right to vote which was granted in 1920. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law stating that no employer can discriminate based on gender. The American Association of University Women published a graph on Women’s Median Annual Earnings as a Percentage of Men’s Median Annual Earnings for Full-time, Year-round Workers, 1974-2014 and it shows that in 1974, women were paid 59% of what men were paid. The graph shows the improvements over the years and that in 2014, women were paid 79% of what men were paid. The gap has not budged since 2014. The gender pay gap has improved over the years, but it will not close until new legislation passes.
An important federal employment law that all employees and employers should be aware of is the Equal Pay Act of 1963. As conversed in week nine of class discussion and video lecture, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 ends wage disparity based on sex. The main goal of this act was to ban discrimination in wages, benefits, and pensions based the gender of an employee in any place of employment. Women traditionally earned less than men for doing similar work. The United States has had a long history of knowledge of unequal pay between men and women, but it was not until around World War II that the problem arose and women started fighting for their rights on this issue. Women have tried passing several bills to help close this pay gap throughout the 1950’s, but ended up in failure.
The Equal Pay Act set in the United States in 1963 is a labor law removes the wage inequality between men and women. This was a law that was specifically designed so that everyone is required to be paid the same amount. If a man and a woman are both working the same job title in the same work place there should not be any difference in the amount of pay received. The creation of this law was much more important than many people realized, because women were completing the same jobs but offered less money because of their gender and not quality of their work.The sole purpose of the equal pay is give women the same ability to make a living as a male, which closes the gender pay gap and keeps women for being paid 78 cents on a dollar. This pay act helps hold the employer accountable for making sure no one is not being compensated for things in their job description. In this paper I will speaking about The EEOC Sues Checkers and the Phillips V. Marietta Corp which are two specific cases that shows how people have been discriminated against because of their gender, this highlights the importance of The Equal Pay Act and what it actually stands for.
Luckily for women, the American Women’s rights progressed tremendously since the late 1800’s, and the turning point for females was The Equal Pay Act in 1963. Women wanted more than their primary responsibilities of taking care of the home, children, and family. Although this law contributed significant changes in the development of the women in the workforce, it did come with unethical wages.
Women have made significant strides in society, proving themselves to be as capable as men in the workforce. However, while women are making equal contributions, men and women are not earning equal wages. Even though the Equal Pay Act was established in 1963, women continue to earn lower wages than men over half a century later. This inequality not only affects women as individuals but has a detrimental effect on the national economy. The gender wage gap in the United States should end because it is unjust; correcting it would have social and economic benefits for the U.S.
One problem that Americans are facing is the inequality between men and women, whether it is in everyday life or in a professional atmosphere. One step that has been taken toward equality was introduced with the Equal Pay Act of 1963, signed by President John F. Kennedy. This law was the first affecting the amount of job opportunities available for women and allowing them to work in traditionally male dominated fields. On the outside, this would sound like a solution where nothing could possibly go wrong, but it is not.
In 1942, the National War Labor Board urged employers to voluntarily equalize wage and salary rates for women to meet the wages of men. The Equal Pay act was signed in 1963, making it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who hold the same job and do the same work, but this hasn’t changed much. Two landmark court cases served to strengthen and further define the Equal Pay Act: Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co. (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was the first federal anti-discrimination law that addresses wage differences based on gender (SHRM, nd). Generally speaking, there should be no unequal wages paid to women and men who do jobs that require the same skills. Consequently, why is this still a big topic, even in the 21st century? The truth is, salary data is still a topic not openly discussed and women and minorities are not aware of the wage gap. Although, women make up half of the workforce, they are still underpaid when compared with male workers. Today, the workforce has changed drastically, but our labor laws have not kept up with the trend. As I researched the topic for this assignment, I have identified several key points that I would use to evaluate
1963- Equal Pay for Equal Work; guarantees that men and woman be given equal pay for equal
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed gender discrimination (Macionis, 2012). That is, employers cannot discriminate when setting pay for men and women (Macionis, 2012). Although these laws exist in the United States, median wages for women amounts to seventy-nine percent of median wages for men (Hirschfeld Davis, 2016). As a result, President Barack Obama signed an executive law that will close gender pay gap with mandatory reporting and penalize companies that engage in discriminatory pay practices (Hirschfeld Davis, 2016).
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 that should’ve made it impossible for employers to remain prejudice against women by paying them less. Except there is still a wage gap, some would like to disagree, however, even the white house addresses this as a valid issue. In fact, according to the White House government website, “On average, full-time working women earn just 78