The Equal Pay Act

The Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy. It was an act designed to make the wages received by women for performing the equal work of men equal. The Act was passed and signed on the recommendation from President Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women.

While the act did much to help women in the workplace receive more for what they did, the Act did not go quite far enough. A number of recent Supreme Court decisions undermined many of the Act’s protections for women in the workplace.

Despite the Act and the fact that more women are now getting college degrees, it was determined in 2000 that a woman in a comparable position with comparable experience still only made three quarters of a man’s dollar.

One recent Supreme Court decision made it near impossible for any woman to file a claim for wage discrimination. According to the Supreme Court, a woman must file a complaint concerning wage discrimination within the first 180 days after receiving the first paycheck that places a lower value on her efforts. At the time of the decision, numerous organizations were more than a little upset. How, exactly, was one supposed to figure out what one’s co-workers were making in the first six months of employment?

The Act has done much to help women in the workplace receive the compensation they deserve for their efforts but did not go quite far enough. To compensate, President Obama recently signed the Fair Pay Act.

Contact an Austin Employment Lawyer

If you feel that you have been a victim of wage discrimination based on your gender, contact the Austin employment lawyers of The Melton Law Firm at (512) 330-0017.