Return to Home PageThe right of employees to be free from discrimination in their compensation is protected under several federal laws, including the following enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
To help employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under these laws with regard to compensation discrimination, we have developed a fact sheet about compensation discrimination. A more comprehensive discussion of compensation discrimination can be found in two sections of the Commission's new Compliance Manual:
Other EEOC resources relevant to equal pay include:
Compensation discrimination also is prohibited by laws enforced by the Department of Labor (DOL). EEOC and DOL recently reached agreements called "Memoranda of Understanding" to enhance and further coordinate enforcement of the federal laws prohibiting compensation discrimination.
EEOC is committed to vigorous enforcement of the equal pay laws. We have compiled charge statistics providing the number of charges filed and resolved alleging compensation as an issue. We have also summarized some of our recent equal pay successes in litigation and the administrative process.
Here are some links to other sources of information about compensation discrimination. Please be aware that, consistent with the EEOC's general disclaimer statement, the EEOC does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this outside information, and references to the sites below are not intended to reflect their importance or an endorsement of any views expressed or products or services offered.
This page was last modified on August 18, 2003.