The Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963, and it was designed to make sure that workers in California and around the country were paid the same for doing equal work. However, a wage gap still exists in 2018. The extent of the gap depends on factors such as a worker’s gender and ethnicity. Women generally have to wait until April 10 to get the same pay that a man made in the previous year.
African-American women don’t reach that number until August while Latina women don’t hit that mark until November. This gap exists despite the fact that women are increasingly earning college degrees. Those who study the matter say that this is partially because of discrimination against women of color. For instance, white workers tend to receive more responses to job applications compared to those who belong to minority groups.
Currently, a black women can be expected to make 63 cents for every dollar a white male makes. Native American women make 57 cents for each dollar earned by a white male. Some believe that allowing females to advance to positions of leadership could be one solution to ending the wage gap. There are only 24 female CEOs among Fortune 500 companies. There are also only three women of color in that group of 24.
Workers who are not paid in accordance with state or federal laws could have grounds to pursue an employment law violation case. An attorney may help gather salary records or other information that could show that a person was paid less for equal work based on gender or other protected attributes. Cases may be resolved through arbitration, litigation or a negotiated settlement.
