Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act
Tomorrow, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. This landmark legislation made it illegal to pay women less for the same work as men. We recognize that even though the gender wage gap has narrowed in the 60 years since passage, there is still work to be done. Women who work full-time year-round are paid just 84 cents on the dollar compared with men. That amounts to nearly $10,000 less per year, with even larger pay gaps for women of color. At OFCCP we are committed to removing barriers to opportunity, including pay discrimination and occupational segregation, which are key drivers of persistent pay disparities.
We enforce Executive Order 11246 (EO 11246), which makes it unlawful for contractors and subcontractors doing business with the federal government to discriminate based on sex, including in compensation decisions. EO 11246 also prohibits contractors from discriminating against applicants or employees because they inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or that of others. Since FY 2021, our enforcement efforts have recovered nearly $39.4 million in backpay and salary adjustments on behalf of over 12,000 women jobseekers and workers experiencing discrimination, including pay discrimination.
The Biden-Harris Administration has made strides to improve the gender wage gap:
- Issued the first-ever National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, to promote the rights and opportunities of women through equal access to education, economic security for women and families, health care, and freedom from gender-based violence.
- Signed historic legislation to advance gender equity, including to support women in the workplace (such as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the Speak Out Act, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act).
- Enacted historic federal investments in construction, manufacturing, and clean energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act, which will expand good-paying jobs for women and families.
Gender differences in jobs are a significant cause of the wage gap and women in high-paying careers are currently underrepresented. In anticipation of the federal government’s historic investments in infrastructure, OFCCP launched its Mega Construction Project (Megaproject) Program to foster equal opportunity in the construction trades workforce. As part of the Program, we offer intensive on-the-ground assistance to remove hiring barriers and promote consideration of a diverse pool of qualified workers for jobs in the trades, including women, people of color, veterans, and people with disabilities. By providing women with access to good-paying construction jobs, the Megaproject Program can help close gender and racial wage gaps.
Additionally, to take action, OFCCP issued a Directive in August 2022 which promotes greater contractor attention to federal contractors’ longstanding obligation under EO 11246 to analyze compensation systems to determine whether there are gender, race, or ethnicity-based disparities and document compliance. In March 2023, we also published a fact sheet identifying risk factors for pay inequity and promising practices for employers.
Pay equity benefits all workers and the economy. When women receive equal pay, they are better able to afford basic needs and invest in their families and communities. We will continue to explore methods to root out pay inequalities and remains committed to expanding equal employment opportunity for all.
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