Sara_Olson.Essay

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Sara Olson HIS 200: Applied History Southern New Hampshire University June 3 rd , 2023 Historical Analysis Essay In the early 1960s, white women made 59 cents to every dollar earned by a white man. The average wage was even lower for women of color. The Equal Pay Act was proposed in 1945, however didn’t become a federal law until 1963. President John F. Kennedy fought for this law by enacting the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, which focused on women’s employment, health, education, and legal status. The purpose of the Equal Pay Act was to create strict rules for employers when it came to how employees were treated, paid, and employment status such as job titles and opportunities for advancement. This Act prohibited discrimination between sexes including but not limited to skills, effort, and responsibilities. Included were also the four exceptions to these restrictions: merit, productivity, seniority, and any factor other than sex. The main arguments against equal pay consisted of the necessity of federal laws on equal pay for equal work, the beliefs that the man should be the “provider” of a household, and women’s attendance at work (Lerner, 2006). Supporters were able to gain traction with the public as well as congress and the Equal Pay act was signed into law on June 10 th , 1963. Before the Equal Pay Act passed, over twenty states had laws protecting equal pay. Within a decade of the passing of the Equal Pay Act, forty states had State-level regulations similar to the Equal Pay Act (Lerner, 2006). While the federal law had passed, these states passed individual laws within state governments to protect Equal Pay if the Equal Pay Act was ever overturned, edited, or changed in any way. The Equal Pay Act was important to the economic and educational side of society

because it balanced the income of the household allowing more financial stability but also allowed women to have expectations when it came to work. Following his election in 1960, President Kennedy created the Commission on the Status of Women, which focused on issues such as woman’s employment, education, legal status, and health. The purpose of this Commission was to investigate any questions, issues, or ways to improve the opportunities for women in education, the work force, and under the law. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the Commission which made recommendations to improve women’s lives in the United States, Moran (1970). The Commission on the Status of Women released recommendations for several anti-discrimination actions including paid maternity and family leave, access to affordable childcare, and equal pay. Explain the EPA here and the order of events. Opponents to this law argued with several points, including but not limited to federal laws being unnecessary, that men should be the “provider” of the homes, employers’ financial burdens, and higher absenteeism. The opposition argued that federal laws were unnecessary because states were capable of making regulations over employers’ paying their residents. Opponents’ believed that as providers for the family, men would need a larger income to support the household, however it was already becoming obsolete sense at least 1/5 th of the working women were already making most of the income within the households. Some business owners argued that the necessary restrooms and changing facilities that would need to be added to their existing environments for women, costing an excess for construction and materials (Lerner, 2006). It was reported that absenteeism was higher for women due to things like childcare issues, pregnancy, and medical concerns. This is also addressed with the Equal Pay Act, giving paid maternity and family leave, access to affordable childcare, and equal pay. A large part of President Kennedy’s

movements for the Equal Pay Act were increasing affordable childcare, including authorizing $800,000 to State welfare agencies, as stated in Facts About Equal Pay and Compensation Discrimination (1997) . This would aid in women having consistent and reliable care for children. President Kennedy supported the $8 million in the 1965 Health, Education, and Welfare budget to be allocated to the provisions of childcare issues as well. Being the “provider” of the household was no longer a manly thing, even if society hadn’t accepted that yet, the financial stress on employers was an unfortunate but necessary feat, and the higher absenteeism was addressed by the details of the Act by strengthening the support provided by the governing states. The Commission of the Status of Women were able to gain sympathy and support from the public, and enough support from congress to allow passage of the Equal Pay Act. As he signed the legislation, President Kennedy offered this statement: This act represents many years of effort by labor, management, and several private organizations unassociated with labor or management, to call attention to the unconscionable practice of paying female employees less wages than male employees for the same job. This measure adds to our laws another structure basic to democracy. It will add protection at the working place to the women, the same rights at the working place in a sense that they have enjoyed at the polling place, (Kennedy, 1963). The Equal Pay Act made an enormous change in society, changing opportunities for both sexes of all races within the work force. However this was only the beginning of a long fight for full equality in the employment field, education field, and socially. you need MUCH more information about the CONSEQUENCES!! What is discussed in the secondary source literature about the consequences of the EPA?

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What happened to the other recommendations of the Commission on the Status of Women? References Lerner, A. W., Lerner, B. W., & Lerner, K. L. (2006). Equal Pay Act of 1963. Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources . https://link-gale- com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/CX2560000102/UHIC?u=nhc_main&sid=bookmark- UHIC&xid=17853c42 Moran, R. (1970). Reducing discrimination: role of the Equal Pay Act. Woman at Work , 93 (6), 30–34. Kennedy, J. (1963, June 10). Remarks Upon Signing the Equal Pay Act. In The American Presidency Project . https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-signing- the-equal-pay-act Gold, M. E. (2001). Introduction to the Law of Employment Discrimination. Cornell University Press . http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv3mt9s5 Causevic, E. (2018). Following the States’ Lead: A Proposed Amendment to the Equal Pay Act. University of Toledo Law Review , 49 (3), 741–760. Mutari, E., Figart, D. M., & Power, M. (1998). Implicit Wage Theories in Equal Pay Debates in the United States. Feminist Economics , 7 (2), 23–52.

Sara_Olson.Essay

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