EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963 Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963 - Thesis Example The Equal Pay Act was signed into law by President John Kennedy on 1963 and it sought to bring about an end to the pay disparities based on sex that were prevalent in the United States at the time. The passing of this law was done because of the belief that sex discrimination went against the constitution of the United States because it depressed the living standards of employees because equal pay was needed to ensure that they were capable of not only increasing the efficiency of these individuals but also their health. Furthermore, it was believed that wage disparities brought about a situation where there was no maximal use of available labor. In addition, it was found that pay disparities based on sex often led to considerable labor disputes which were detrimental to commerce because they interfered with commercial activities (Bhasker and Kleiner, 1998). There was concern that as a result of women getting paid less than their male counterparts, there would develop a situation whe re commercial activities, mainly the free flow of goods and services, would end up being disrupted. Finally, it was believed that the lack of equality in pay constituted the development of unfair competition and this situation had to be corrected to ensure that all individuals in American society had equal opportunities when employed. The signing into law of the Equal Pay Act was one of the numerous steps which have been taken over several decades to ensure that there is gender equality in the workplace. In order to eliminate the pay gap, new legislation must be created and passed, specifying equal pay requirements and employers need to implement this legislation in order to correct their pay practices. . Before the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women had faced pay discrimination for many years and this was despite women forming a significant part of the American