What is the Equal Pay Act?

The Equal Pay Act is a federal law that makes it illegal for employers to pay people differently for the same or similar work because of their gender. This law applies to employers in Texas and all other states across the United States. Under the Equal Pay Act, an employer cannot pay an employee less than someone else for the same position, or for a substantially equal position that requires similar skills, effort, and responsibility. An employer is also prohibited from providing different benefits, such as insurance or vacation time, on the basis of gender. The Equal Pay Act also requires that an employer cannot set up different standards for employees of different genders when it comes to promotions, job assignments, or other conditions of employment. This means that if a man and a woman are competing for the same job, the employer must offer equal pay and equal opportunities to both candidates regardless of gender. The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 to eliminate gender-based pay discrimination and ensure employees are paid the same for doing similar jobs. The law has been amended multiple times since then, but has remained a critical feature of civil rights law in Texas and across the United States.

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