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Show Laws Governing Women's Employment and Status 237 Equal Pay Twenty-five States have equal pay laws applicable to private employment which prohibit discrimination in rate of pay because of sex. They establish the principle of payment of a wage Tate based on the job and not on the sex of the worker. Five States with no equal pay laws have fair employment practices laws that prohibit discrimi nation in rate of payor compensation based on sex. 103. Historical Record Public attention was first sharply focused on equal pay for women numbers of women were employed in World War I when large during industries on the same jobs as men, and the National War Labor Board enforced the policy of "no wage discrimination against women of sex." In 1919,2 States-Michigan and Montana on the war grounds enacted equal pay legislation. For nearly 25 years these were the only States with equal pay laws on their statute books. Great progress in the equal pay field was made during World War II when large numbers of women entered the labor force, many of jobs previously held by men. Government agencies, em ployers' unions, organizations, and the general public were concerned with the removal of wage differentials as a means of furthering the them in . war effort. During the period 1943-45 equal pay laws were enacted in 4 States-Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington. In the next 4 years 6 States-California, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island-and Alaska passed equal pay laws. New Jersey enacted its equal pay law in 1952. Arkansas, Colorado, and Oregon, by passing such legislation in 1955, increased the number of equal pay laws to 17. In 1957 California amended its equal pay law to strengthen exist ing legislation, and Nebraska adopted a resolution endorsing the policy of equal pay for equal work without discrimination as to sex and urging the adoption of this policy by all employers in the State. Hawaii, Ohio, and Wyoming passed equal pay laws in 1959. In 1961 Wisconsin amended its fair employment practices law to that a differential prohibit discrimination because of sex and to provide in pay between employees, when based in good faith on any factor other than sex, is not prohibited. In 1962 Arizona became the 21st State with an equal pay law, and amended its law to extend coverage to any employer of labor Michigan |
