Knowra Equal Pay Act of 1963 Equal Pay Act of 1963 A United States federal law that amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to prohibit sex-based wage differences for substantially equal work in the same establishment.
Equal work : Work requiring substantially equal skill, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions. The Act compares job content, not titles, when deciding whether unequal wages are unlawful.
National War Labor Board : A United States agency that mediated labor disputes and influenced wartime wage policies during World War II. Its wartime equal-pay policies helped establish federal precedents before the 1963 law.
Gender pay gap : The difference between the average earnings of women and men in a population. The law addressed one legal cause of the gap but did not eliminate broader disparities.
Equal Pay Act of 1963 (United States) : The federal United States law prohibiting sex-based wage differences for substantially equal work. This duplicate label is unnecessary.
Equal Pay Act defenses : The four statutory explanations that can justify a wage difference under the Equal Pay Act. Seniority, merit, production, or another factor other than sex can defeat a claim.
Women’s Bureau : A United States Department of Labor agency that promotes the welfare of women in the workforce. The Bureau documented wage inequality and advocated for federal equal-pay legislation.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 : A federal law prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Title VII broadened sex-discrimination protections beyond the Act’s equal-work comparison.
Paycheck Fairness Act : Proposed United States legislation intended to strengthen remedies and requirements related to equal-pay discrimination. Repeated proposals sought to narrow defenses and improve enforcement beyond the 1963 Act.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission : The United States federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates and litigates many Equal Pay Act claims.
Esther Peterson : An American labor official and women’s rights advocate who directed the Women’s Bureau and advanced equal-pay legislation. Her advocacy helped move the bill through the Kennedy administration and Congress.
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