Activists first began raising awareness of pay inequalities decades ago. Due in part to their efforts, two pieces of legislation have been passed to address the issue of discriminatory wages. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act made it illegal for men and women who do essentially the same work to be paid different wages from one another. In 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibited wage discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex religion or natural origin. These laws can be difficult to enforce, however, because some forms of discrimination are so deeply engrained and rarely explicitly expressed.
Progress has been made since the 1960's. However, the statistics showing a narrowing of the wage gap may be a little misleading. The Institute for Women's Policy Research claims that the 15% narrowing of the gap since 1973 is actually mostly attributable to a decrease in men's wages, rather than an increase in women's wages. Obviously, this is not the kind of change that equality activists want to see.
Wage discrimination is often discussed in terms of gender, but race has always been another factor in this issue. The U.S. Census Bureau has published information about median annual earnings for men and women divided by race. In 2006, white women earned a median of $33,768 while Hispanic women earned a median of $25,198. During the same year, white men earned a median of $44,152 while Hispanic men earned a median of $29,061.
People who disagree with the need for pay equity often point out that men and women who work the same jobs earn the same wages. This fails to acknowledge that men and women often work in different fields, and that women-dominated fields generally pay less well than male dominated ones. Some people blame this on cultural attitudes that devalue jobs held by women. For example, teaching, nursing and caring for children are women-dominated fields and usually not high-paying.
Pay equity will not just help women and members of racial minorities. Men working in women-dominated fields, and white people working in minority-dominated fields, also suffer from wage inequality due to their work being undervalued. In addition, fair wages could help people - especially working mothers - lift themselves out of poverty and strengthen the economy. Most importantly, everyone benefits from living in a society where people are treated fairly and respectfully.
For legal information about this issue, contact Austin pay equity lawyers Melton and Kumler.
Joseph Devine
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