The gender pay gap dates back to earlier than most people probably realize.
Here is a brief timeline of some of the most monumental moments in wage gap history.
Here is a brief timeline of some of the most monumental moments in wage gap history.
- According to an article with Time Magazine, the gender pay gap was first acknowledged in 1869 when a letter to editor of the New York Times emerged and questioned why female government employees were not paid the same as the male ones. In the letter, the author wrote “Very few persons deny the justice of the principle that equal work should command equal pay without regard to the sex of the laborer,” and also went onto say that “But it is one thing to acknowledge the right of a principle and quite another to practice it.”
- In 1883, communications across the country came to a halt when the majority of Western Union Telegraph Company workers went on strike partly in an attempt to ensure "equal pay for equal work" for its male and female employees. While the strike ultimately wasn't successful, it marked a monumental occasion of a very early demand for fair pay for women.
- Then in 1911, after a long battle with the Board of Education, significant progress was made when female New York teachers were finally granted equal pay matching their male counterparts.
- During World War I and WWII, more jobs opened up that were suitable for women -- and the National War Labor Board decided that women should be paid the same as men. And, in 1947, Secretary of Labor Lewis Schwellenback tried to get an equal pay amendment passed that would apply to the private sector. However, his bid was ultimately unsuccessful as veterans needed work after the war and the women were encouraged to stay home.
- Finally, in 1963, John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Law into effect. When signing the bill, Kennedy stated that it was a "significant step forward," and went onto say that “It affirms our determination that when women enter the labor force they will find equality in their pay envelopes.”