Equal Pay Discrimination

Women in the work force have been fighting for equal pay for over 100 years. In 1869, a bill proposed equal pay for women in the federal work force. It was passed through the House of Representatives by nearly 100 votes, but was watered down in the Senate to only include new employees. However, the bill wasn 't enforced and women working federal jobs were still paid less than men. New York state passed the Grady bill in 1891 stating that all teachers must receive equal pay. During World War 1 and 2 the War Labor Board ruled that women working jobs usually performed by men must be paid equally to what men were paid. Both wars ended before the rule could be strictly enforced. The National Recovery Act of 1935 required women in the federal workforce to receive 25% less pay than their male counterparts.
In 1944, Rep. Winifred Stanley proposed the first bill that would amend the National Labor Relations Act and put an end gender wage discrimination. The bill expired after it was referred to the Committee on Labor. Secretary of Labor, Lewis Schwellenbach, tried to have an equal pay amendment passed that would provide equal pay outside of government jobs in 1947. He was unsuccessful in his efforts. The 1950s saw more efforts to provide equal pay for women in the workforce. Rep. Katharine St. George coined …show more content…
This has kept companies more honest over the years but some have still found ways to pay female employees less. As of 2011, the average working woman in the United States only earned 77 cents to every dollar earned by men. On top of this, many women still find it difficult to get above the glass ceiling in their occupation. Women make up half of today’s workforce and have contributed to the United States in many ways. It is necessary that the Equal Pay Act should be improved so that women are treated equal in today’s