Equal Pay Day, a public awareness day meant to call attention to the gender wage gap, was celebrated earlier this week in New Jersey and throughout the U.S. The date symbolizes how much more women have to work to earn the same amount of money as men. This year, April 9 marked the date by which the average woman in the U.S. caught up with what men earned in the year of 2012.

For almost 50 years, sex-based wage discrimination has been illegal in the U.S., but it has been estimated that today women only make about 77 to 79 cents for every dollar that men earn. Under the Equal Pay Act of 1963, men and women who work for the same employer, performing similar jobs, requiring similar skills and responsibilities, must be paid the same rates–with exceptions for seniority and merit pay scale systems.

In spite of this law, women still earn significantly less than men, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, even when factors such as occupation and education level are controlled. Additionally, the wage gap is much wider for African American and Latina women, with African American women making 53 cents for every dollar earned by white men and Latina women earning only 44 cents, according to Census data analyzed by the National Women’s Law Center and the National Partnership for Women and Families.

At the time the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, women were earning 59 cents on the dollar compared to men. So, while progress has been made, it is very unfortunate that 50 years have gone by and discrimination against women still has a presence on the payrolls.

Women who are discriminated against in the workplace do have the right to take their employer to task. Women who think that they are not receiving equal pay for equal work may wish to file a complaint with their employer and talk to an employment law attorney about their options. It may be possible to obtain compensation for lost wages and hold the employer accountable to treat women fairly in the workplace.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “EEOC Chair Issues Statement on Equal Pay Day 2013,” April 9, 2013

Source: Forbes, “Are Women Catching Up in Pay?” Susan Adams, April 9, 2013

• Our employment law firm in New Jersey handles sex discrimination claims. More information about this area of our practice is available on our Sex Discrimination page.