By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is kicking off a social media video campaign called “Level The Paying Field” to commemorate the anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 today.
#LevelThePayingField starts June 9 and will last through Aug. 20 to coincide with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, which starts July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.
“In many cases, women across the country are still paid less than men,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “Whether you are a security guard, an IT analyst, a teacher, or even a professional athlete, we often still have an uneven playing field when it comes to equal pay.”
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits sex-based wage discrimination and requires that men and women in the same work establishment receive equal pay for equal work in jobs that are substantially equal and performed under similar working conditions.
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing the Equal Pay Act as well as other federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Although the Equal Pay Act was passed 60 years ago, sex-based pay discrimination remains a problem in the workforce. Each year there are still hundreds of pay discrimination charges filed with the EEOC, including more than 950 in Fiscal Year 2022, which was the first increase in Equal Pay Act charges in three years. Because few workers know their co-workers’ salaries, pay discrimination is often hidden and unreported. When workers do report pay discrimination to the EEOC, the agency has found unequal pay in a variety of industries and sectors, including information technology, entertainment, construction, and retail.
As part of the campaign, the EEOC will provide Level The Paying Field graphics the public can use to show their support for equal pay as well as an updated list of notable EEOC litigation involving pay discrimination and a 2023 Equal Pay Infographic
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.
