Sex discrimination in employee compensation

Abstract

The author writes about the post-Equal Pay Act business environment, noting that there were still intractable pay disparities. Attributing much of this to entrenched hiring and employment patterns, the author analyzes the Supreme Court case, County of Washington v. Gunther in which a sharply divided Court upheld the right of women to bring suit and seek relief under the Act, even when they did not perform substantially the same work as men. This expansive reading of Equal Pay Act coverage was a significant moment as it signaled receptivity to the concept of comparable worth as the standard for judging Equal Pay Act claims.