The Equal Pay Act Was Signed Into Law By President John F. Kennedy. It Amended The Fair Labor Standards Act Of 1938 And Aimed To Eliminate Wage Discrimination Based On Sex. The Law Prohibited Employers From Paying Different Wages To Men And Women Performing Jobs That Required Equal Skill, Effort, And Responsibility, And That Were Performed Under Similar Working Conditions Within The Same Establishment.
The Act Emerged From Growing Public Attention To Wage Disparities Between Male And Female Workers In The Post-World War II Economy. During The War, Women Entered The Workforce In Large Numbers, Often Performing Jobs Traditionally Held By Men. Despite This, They Received Lower Pay. After The War, As Men Returned To Civilian Jobs, The Wage Gap Persisted. The 1960 Census Showed That Women Earned Approximately 59 Cents For Every Dollar Earned By Men. This Disparity Drew The Focus Of Activists And Policymakers.
Support For The Equal Pay Act Came From Labor Unions, Civil Rights Groups, And Women's Organizations. The Kennedy Administration’s Presidential Commission On The Status Of Women, Established In 1961 And Chaired By Eleanor Roosevelt Until Her Death In 1962, Produced A Report Highlighting Wage Inequality And Recommending Legislative Action. The Equal Pay Act Passed The House Of Representatives On June 10, 1963, By A Vote Of 362 To 9 And Passed The Senate By Voice Vote.
The Law Defined “Equal Work” As Jobs That Required Substantially Equal Skill, Effort, And Responsibility, And That Were Performed Under Similar Conditions. It Applied To All Employers Covered By The Fair Labor Standards Act. The Law Allowed Exceptions For Wage Differentials Based On Seniority Systems, Merit Systems, Systems Measuring Earnings By Quantity Or Quality Of Production, Or Any Other Factor Other Than Sex.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Created By The Civil Rights Act Of 1964, Was Tasked With Enforcing The Equal Pay Act. However, Enforcement In The Early Years Was Limited. Court Rulings And Further Legislation Helped Clarify And Expand The Act’s Reach Over Time. For Example, In Corning Glass Works V. Brennan (1974), The U.S. Supreme Court Ruled That Paying Male Workers More Than Female Workers For Working Night Shifts, When The Work Was Substantially Equal, Violated The Act.
The Equal Pay Act Was One Of The First Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws Addressing Wage Disparity. It Preceded Title VII Of The Civil Rights Act Of 1964, Which Also Prohibited Employment Discrimination Based On Sex, Among Other Factors. While The Wage Gap Has Narrowed Since 1963, The Law Remains A Foundational Statute In The Fight For Pay Equity. Subsequent Laws, Such As The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Of 2009, Have Built Upon The Principles Established In The Equal Pay Act.
References / More Knowledge:
U.S. Department Of Labor. Equal Pay Act Of 1963. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centennial/history/epa
Library Of Congress. Today In History: June 10. https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-10
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Equal Pay Act Of 1963. https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/equal-pay-act-1963
Cornell Law School. Corning Glass Works V. Brennan, 417 U.S. 188 (1974). https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/417/188