MBA Chic: Equal Pay Act Turns 60: The Long Road To Equality

June 10. 2023

ERA National Campaigns Director Deborah Vagins is quoted in an MBA Chic article about developments in equal pay laws since the passage of the Equal Pay Act 60 years ago.

“The Paycheck Fairness Act amends the Equal Pay Act by ensuring that remedies for gender-based discrimination are on par with those for race and ethnicity-based discrimination,” Vagins explains. “Stronger penalties act as a deterrent for employers engaging in discriminatory practices. Additionally, the Paycheck Fairness Act addresses the broad interpretation of factors other than sex, which have often served as a proxy for sex-related considerations. It sets stricter criteria, requiring an important business justification if gender-based differences in pay are to be allowed. Furthermore, the act prohibits employers from using past salary history to determine future pay, preventing the perpetuation of discrimination across jobs.”

“Every year, women are losing millions and millions of dollars because of these pay gaps that hurts everyone,” says Vagins. “It hurts their ability to pay for basic necessities, build wealth, it hurts their families, it hurts their futures. If we were to close the wage gap, it would cut poverty in the nation by one third.”

Read the article.