Gender equality
Equal Pay Act 1963
The Equal Pay Act on June 10, 1963 (effective June 11, 1964) made it illegal to pay women less than men for doing the same job strictly on the basis of their sex. This had been commonplace before. There had to be demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, or other considerations in order to merit different pay.[1]
Two landmark court cases, Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co. (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Corning Glass Works v. Brennan (1974), U.S. Supreme Court tightened and refined the language of the act.
In 1963, average wages for women were about 59% of the wages paid to men. It was 81% in 2005.[2] Various explanations have been given, such as men holding higher-skilled jobs and working longer hours.