Women's Equal Pay Timeline
1940s – WWII Shift
- During World War II, women entered the workforce in huge numbers.
- Women made up about 37% of the workforce by 1945—but were still paid far less than men.
- The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed by John F. Kennedy.
- It made it illegal to pay women less than men for the same work (on paper… reality took longer).
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned workplace discrimination based on sex, race, religion, and more.
- This expanded legal protections beyond just wages.
- Before 1974, women often needed a husband to open a credit card
- The Equal Credit Opportunity Act changed that.
- The “gender pay gap” becomes widely tracked.
- Women earned about 60 cents for every $1 a man earned.
- Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed by Barack Obama.
- Allows workers more time to file pay discrimination claims.
- Inspired by Lilly Ledbetter, who discovered years of unequal pay.
- Equal Pay Day highlights how far into the next year women must work to match men’s previous year earnings.
- The date has slowly moved earlier—progress, but still not equal.
- Women in the U.S. earn roughly 82–84 cents per $1 earned by men (varies by source).
- The gap is wider for women of color.
- Some states now require pay transparency in job postings.
- The pay gap isn’t just about salary—it includes bonuses, promotions, and opportunities.
- Women dominate many caregiving roles—but those jobs are often lower paid overall.
- Closing the gap could add trillions to the economy.