Preview

The Effects of the Equal Pay Act of 1963

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1915 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Effects of the Equal Pay Act of 1963
Running head: THE EFFECTS OF THE EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963 1

The Effects of the Equal Pay Act of 1963

Abstract On June 10th, 1963, John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which prohibits wage discrimination based solely on gender. Despite the passing of this bill, women today are still not earning equal pay for equal work. Currently, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 states that an employer in any business cannot discriminate between employees based on gender by paying wages less than an employee of the opposite sex. There are many causes of the gender pay disparity, many can be explained away by level of education, experience, and job tenure. It is the job of a human resource department to protect the employees of the business. Human resource departments may actually hire more women because of the effect of the Equal Pay Act. Men tend to ask for higher wages than women, and it may be more beneficial to the company to hire a woman asking less money. Another way human resource departments can protect female employees is to break the stereotype of “women’s jobs” in their companies and businesses.

THE EFFECTS OF THE EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963 3
The Effects of the Equal Pay Act of 1963
On June 10th, 1963, John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which prohibits wage discrimination based solely on gender. Despite the passing of this bill, women today are still not earning equal pay for equal work. Some say, at the current rate, women will not achieve equal pay until the year 2050. 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.
Staring in the early 1940’s, due to World War II, there were a large amount of American women taking jobs in war businesses. In 1942, the National War Board asked the


References: Brunner, B. (n.d.). The Wage Gap: A History of Pay Inequity and the Equal Pay Act | Infoplease.com. Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. | Infoplease.com. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/equalpayact1.html Byars, Lloyd L., and Leslie W. Rue. Human resource management. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. Print. Giapponi, C. C., & McEvoy, S. A. (2005). The Legal, Ethical, and Strategic Implications of Gender Discrimination in Compensation: Can the Fair Pay Act Succeed Where the Equal Pay Act has Failed?. Journal Of Individual Employment Rights, 12(2), 137-150. Manzano-Diaz, S. (2010). The Women’s Bureau. Human Rights, 37(3), 12. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA). (n.d.). EEOC Home Page. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/epa.cfm "Women 's Bureau - Quick Stats on Women Workers, 2010." United States Department of Labor. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Aug. 2013. .
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Equal Pay Act
    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Equal Pay Act

    There are many laws and regulations that govern how the American work force is compensated. In most cases, the laws are set forth to protect the employee against unfair compensation practices. Many of the issues Americans face today are the same issues that existed many years ago. Issues involving labor relations, unions, and men versus women are many of the same issues we face today involving compensation. The Equal Pay Act is on of great interest to me as it covers compensation and how it relates to men and women. This act is one that many people rely heavily upon in today 's workforce.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Wage Gap Analysis
    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Wage Gap Analysis

    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 Third Circuit; Ruled that jobs need to be “substantially equal” nut not “identical” to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men.; Corning Glass Works v. Brennan (1974) U.S. Supreme Court; Ruled that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages, because that is what they traditionally received under the “going market rate.” A wage differential occurring “simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women” was unacceptable. (“The Equal Pay Act”) While these things have caused the gap to narrow there is still s noticeable difference in the pay of…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Equal Pay For Women
    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Equal Pay For Women

    If someone striving to succeed has the option of a dollar or a combination of change equaling 77 cents, which would he or she choose? Many women in the workforce do not have an option because of the gender wage gap. There are many obstacles for women in the workforce, but a major problem women continue to face is the chance to receive equal pay to men in equal jobs. With lower salaries, many women have trouble supporting their family and are only able to afford the necessities. Actions improving women’s opportunities to earn equal pay for equal work are not effective in the United States, but could be improved with support and legislative changes implemented by the president and his staff.…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Why Has the Equal Pay (and Amendment) Act Not Resulted in Equal Pay in the Uk?
    • 2157 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Why Has the Equal Pay (and Amendment) Act Not Resulted in Equal Pay in the Uk?

    Why has the Equal Pay (and Amendment) Act not resulted in equal pay in the UK?…

    • 2157 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gender Pay Gap
    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gender Pay Gap

    For decades now, there has been an ongoing pay gap amongst men and women. Some people say it is the woman’s choice and they made it that way, others say it is plain out sexism. To this day, there is still no definitive reason why, but the gap seems to close little by little each year. Can we contribute that to women standing up for themselves more, working harder to prove their worth, or even challenging the system? T.J. Billitteri wrote the article entitled Gender pay gap touching base on the important fact which is women working and sharing the same career title as a man are making far less money (March 14, 2008).CQ Researcher, 18, 241-264.Billitteri begins his article touching base on a large lawsuit of Ledbetter vs. Goodyear tire. Ledbetter, one of few females in her supervisory position, realized she was making $559.00 a month less than the males in the same position. She received around $3 million in back pay and damages. That case stirred up a lit of press on the pay gap issue and put emphasis on bills such as the Fair Pay Act. Recognized female state officials are pushing the enforcement of Fair Pay Acts and Equal Pay Acts more and more on Congress and the Senate still to this day. Billitteri (2008) states with those in effect men and women would have equal compensation when working in the same field. A prime example is a women working as a Chief Executive makes on average 22 percent of what a male Chief Executive makes. Looking at the 2006 U.S. Census statistics it showed “the pay gap at about 77 percent of the men’s median full-time, year-round earnings.” (Billitteri 2008). In Billitteris’ article he discusses how when hiring a female the company takes into account the possibilities for maternity leave, higher insurance needs, time off to care for children, and a raised risk for sexual harassment claims. It has become apparent that women are intimidated to seek out executive or other high paying positions…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    History of Wage and Gender Disparity in America
    • 3284 Words
    • 14 Pages

    History of Wage and Gender Disparity in America

    References: "A condition we can ill afford": Debating the Equal Pay Act of 1963. (n.d.). History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web. Retrieved July 8, 2011, from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6196/…

    • 3284 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Diversity in the Workplace
    • 912 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Diversity in the Workplace

    •the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same…

    • 912 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Gender Discrimination Research Paper
    • 1849 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Gender Discrimination Research Paper

    “According to TNS Research Surveys, 68 percent of women surveyed believe gender discrimination exist in the workplace. Federal law protects women and other minorities from discrimination in the workplace. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 ended the practice of paying men more than women when performing the same jobs and duties. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act extended this protection to other minorities. Despite these protections, many women still feel gender-based discrimination is a problem in some businesses” (Gluck). Regardless of the amount of attention discrimination of forms may receive and the progress made towards equal rights for all individuals in the work place, there is evidence that discrimination is still not a thing of the past just yet.…

    • 1849 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Discrimination Against Women
    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Discrimination Against Women

    For many centuries, women have had to fight for their rights. In today’s society, women are still discriminated against in the workplace. Generations of women have sacrificed for woman today to have the opportunity to be able to have a voice on what they want to do in life. In the workforce, women make up 47% of the United States workforce (“Women's Bureau (WB) - Quick Facts on Women in the Labor Force in 2010"). This is almost half but yet they are paid less than men. Men are often bound to receive a promotion, transfer, and compensation before women. The broader problems of obvious discrimination against women in the workforce have been dealt with for centuries. Across the world, women are discriminated against in the workforce through family…

    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hrm - Women in the Workforce
    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hrm - Women in the Workforce

    Discrimination against women in the workplace has become and ongoing issue, while legislation and work place unions protect the rights of women to an extent, however even though laws such as; the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 which prohibits employers from discriminating against women on the basis of pregnancy and The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires that employers pay men and women in the same workplace equal pay for equal work (Thompson, 2010). However, unfortunately even with these regulations in place, evidence shows that only 1 percent of Australia's Top 500 companies' CEOs are female (EOWA, 2001). For example, even though women in the workforce has increased from 18.4 million in 1950 to 64.7 million in 2005, the wage gap between men and women still persists; in 2004 women earned 80.4% as much as men and on average women earn 34% less than men in the same occupation (Thompson, 2010). While law enforcement has somewhat amended this issue, it cannot be denied it there is still not enough being done, and if left lone will continue to exacerbate. Laws enforced by EEOC in the United States stress that while policy is imperative, so is the need for training, investigation and discipline (EEOC, 2009). Often when policies, whether they are legal or particular to one firm, are left unexplained to all levels of management and employees. To eradicate this issue, training and further information should be provided answering any related questions regarding the policy. While training is important, it is not enough, investigation on any report regarding discrimination needs to be followed up, moreover its needs to be taken seriously and be enquired about to the fullest extent possible. Finally to further enforce policies and discourage any sort of…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Gender Wage Gap in America
    • 1549 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Gender Wage Gap in America

    Two thousand ten, forty-three years since the first law to fight the gender wage gap. The Equal Pay Act was initiated during the Kennedy administration. Since then, the gender wage gap has been narrowing every year, but it still does exist in the United States. The gender wage gap is the difference between what women get paid and what men get paid for doing the same job. People have been trying to prove whether the gender wage gap is bad, or unimportant since before the first act was passed. In the 1963 the gender wage gap was a huge issue; women made only 63% of what men made in the same positions. As time has progressed, women now make on average 77% of what men make in the same position.…

    • 1549 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Equal Pay Act of 1963
    • 1522 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Equal Pay Act of 1963

    The Equal Pay Act of 1963Throughout history, women have been paid less than men have, even when employed in identical jobs. 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 contemporary mindset was that men were the heads of the households and therefore were the primary income producer in their families. This, of course, was not always so. In many homes, the head of household and sole breadwinner was a woman, for various reasons, ranging from death or disability of a spouse to divorce or single parenthood (DfEE).…

    • 1522 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hcs341 Week 2
    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hcs341 Week 2

    The Equal Pay act of 1963 affects the work place and workers in many ways. This act makes sure that men and woman are paid equally for the same quality and amount of work. It also holds true to the merit system and seniority system. A man can get paid more for those reasons, but a woman can also get paid…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    The Hiring Process and the Laws That Govern It
    • 2227 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Hiring Process and the Laws That Govern It

    The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA). (n.d.). US EEOC Home Page. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/epa.cfm…

    • 2227 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Wage Gap In America
    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Wage Gap In America

    Throughout history, females have oftentimes not been treated fairly compared to their male counterparts. The gender wage gap has been a real and prevalent issue in our society for decades. Even in the present, women are inclined to get lower salaries than men throughout the world, and most importantly in the United States where the constitution nonetheless says “all men are created equal.” However, there is much we can do to stop discrimination in the work force. The United States’ wage gap is caused by discrimination against women who have less opportunities for higher paying jobs, and in order to eradicate this issue in our country and worldwide, women need to be treated impartially in the workforce.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More