Because of the labor shortage that resulted when more men joined the military and more women took over their jobs for less pay, men began to worry they would be replaced by women permanently. This is the origin of the gender wage gap. During the war, however, acute labor shortages drove more women into the workforce until they accounted for 37 percent in 1945.Īt this point, women typically earned less than their male counterparts for the same work. Prior to the war, women accounted for less than 24 percent of the civilian workforce in the United States.
The number of women in the labor force shifted dramatically after World War II. Our economy today depends on women in the labor force.” The History of Equal Pay
#Pay act full#
As he signed the Act, he went on to acknowledge the road to full economic equality was long and far from over, saying, “While much remains to be done to achieve full equality of economic opportunity - for the average woman worker earns only 60 percent of the average wage for men - this legislation is a significant step forward. Kennedy made these remarks upon signing the Equal Pay Act of 1963 into law. 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.” “I am delighted today to approve the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits arbitrary discrimination against women in the payment of wages.
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