Pay Equity and Pay Discrimination - Essay Example

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is an amendment to the Fair Labour Standards Act. The Act abolished gender discrimination when determining Payemployee’s salariesan. It prohibited discrimination of workers by their employer or amongst themselves based on sex.

It advocated compensation of employees based on their output rather than their sex; equal pay for equal work (Weatherhead, 2013). The Act promoted gender equality in workplaces. Employers undervalued work done by females compared to that done by their male counterparts. Implementation of the Act leveled the playing field and addressed pay inequity promoting female talent. The long-run effect of the law is the emergence of an active and vibrant economy. However, the implementation of the Act has faced various challenges.

For instance, there are many ways of defining comparable worth that creates confusion. Despite the enactment of the law, statistics show that the labor market is still gender biased when valuing work. Females are still underpaid compared to male workers.

Indicate whether there is any justifiable reason to deny a pregnant woman a job and explain why or why not. The employer should give a twelve-week before unpaid leave to employees that have served the organization for more than twelve months. The employer must continue providing group health plan benefits despite the worker’s absence from work. Under the Act, employers are required to publish a notice informing employees of their rights to leave (Meyers, 2005). Employees are supposed to notify their bosses of the intended leave thirty days prior to the leave.

An employee that calls in sick is entitled to leave. An example of pregnancy discrimination is when an employer takes punitive measures on a pregnant employee who fails to fulfill her obligations due to medical complications related to her pregnancy. Additionally, failing to hire or promote a woman due to her pregnancy is pregnancy discrimination.