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Government
<br />FEDERAL
<br />Congress has a history of considering, and in some cases enacting, laws that
<br />address discrimination in employment. Yet these legal protections have not
<br />ensured equal pay for women and men. See the below time line of major
<br />milestones in federal equal pay policy.
<br />STATE
<br />As inaction continues at the federal level, states are moving forward with
<br />their own laws to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work. The
<br />good news is that nearly every state has a law prohibiting employers from
<br />paying workers differently based solely on their gender. The bad news?
<br />Many of these laws are limited in scope or are not enforced. Every state has
<br />room to make its pay equity laws stronger.
<br />Federal Equal Pay Legislation Time Line
<br />1920 • The Department of Labor Women's Bureau was founded to promote the
<br />welfare of wage-earning women.
<br />1938 • The Fair Labor Standards Act was enacted to improve labor conditions and
<br />practices for workers by regulating minimum wage, overtime pay, record-
<br />keeping, and labor standards.
<br />1945 • The Women's Equality Bill, the first federal pay equity legislation, was introduced
<br />by AAUW member Rep. Chase Going Woodhouse (D -CT).
<br />1963 • The Equal Pay Act became law, requiring employers to give women and men
<br />employees equal pay for equal work.
<br />1964 • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was passed, barring employment discrimination
<br />on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin specifically in hiring,
<br />firing, promotion, and wages.
<br />1967 • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act became law, protecting workers 40
<br />years and older
<br />1972 • Title IX of the Education Amendments, the first comprehensive federal law to
<br />prohibit sex discrimination in education, was enacted.
<br />1990 • Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed to protect against
<br />discrimination based on disability status, including in employment.
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<br />FIGURE 2. (CONT.)
<br />Median Annual Earnings and Earnings Ratio for Full -Time, Year -Round Workers, by State
<br />and Gender, 2015
<br />Note: National data include workers ages 15 and older and are based on the Current Population Survey. State -level statistics
<br />include workers ages 16 and older and are based on the American Community Survey. See page 6 for more details on these
<br />data sources.
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<br />Male
<br />Female
<br />Earnings Ratio
<br />27
<br />Pennsylvania
<br />$50,976
<br />$40,214
<br />79%
<br />28
<br />Arkansas
<br />$40,570
<br />$32,003
<br />79%
<br />29
<br />Nebraska
<br />$46,763
<br />$36,834
<br />79%
<br />30
<br />Maine
<br />$46,934
<br />S36,841
<br />78%
<br />31
<br />Wisconsin
<br />S49,306
<br />$38,594
<br />78%
<br />32
<br />South Dakota
<br />$42,605
<br />$33,268
<br />78%
<br />33
<br />Alaska
<br />$55,752
<br />$43,455
<br />78%
<br />34
<br />Missouri
<br />$45,897
<br />$35,759
<br />78%
<br />35
<br />Virginia
<br />$54,392
<br />$42,342
<br />78%
<br />36
<br />Iowa
<br />$47,298
<br />$36,264
<br />77%
<br />37
<br />Kansas
<br />$47,864
<br />S36,671
<br />77%
<br />38
<br />New Hampshire
<br />$56,525
<br />S43,172
<br />76%
<br />39
<br />Alabama
<br />$45,057
<br />$34,310
<br />76%
<br />40
<br />Indiana
<br />$47,092
<br />$35,753
<br />76%
<br />41
<br />Mississippi
<br />$41,092
<br />$31,110
<br />76%
<br />42
<br />Ohio
<br />$50,051
<br />$37,365
<br />75%
<br />43
<br />Michigan
<br />S50,479
<br />S37,486
<br />74%
<br />44
<br />Idaho
<br />S43,264
<br />S31,808
<br />74%
<br />45
<br />Oklahoma
<br />$43,829
<br />$32,096
<br />73%
<br />46
<br />Montana
<br />$46,123
<br />$33,443
<br />73%
<br />47
<br />North Dakota
<br />S52,031
<br />S37,016
<br />71%
<br />48
<br />Utah
<br />$50,741
<br />536,060
<br />71%
<br />49
<br />West Virginia
<br />$45,082
<br />$31,824
<br />71%
<br />50
<br />Louisiana
<br />$49,730
<br />$33,832
<br />68%
<br />51
<br />Wyoming
<br />$55,965
<br />$36,064
<br />64%
<br />Note: National data include workers ages 15 and older and are based on the Current Population Survey. State -level statistics
<br />include workers ages 16 and older and are based on the American Community Survey. See page 6 for more details on these
<br />data sources.
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