Changes

The Equal Pay Act on June 10, 1963 (effective June 11, 1964) made it illegal to pay women less than men for doing the same job strictly on the basis of their sex. This had been commonplace before. There had to be demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, or other considerations in order to merit different pay.<ref>http://www.dol.gov/oasam/regs/statutes/equal_pay_act.htm</ref>

The Equal Pay Act on June 10, 1963 (effective June 11, 1964) made it illegal to pay women less than men for doing the same job strictly on the basis of their sex. This had been commonplace before. There had to be demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, or other considerations in order to merit different pay.<ref>http://www.dol.gov/oasam/regs/statutes/equal_pay_act.htm</ref>

Two landmark court cases, Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co. (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Corning Glass Works v. Brennan (1974), U.S. Supreme Court tightened and refined the language of the act.  

Two landmark court cases, ''Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co.'' (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and ''Corning Glass Works v. Brennan'' (1974), [[U.S. Supreme Court]] tightened and refined the language of the act.  

In 1963, average wages for women were about 59% of the wages paid to men. In the UK, the gender pay gap derived from median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) in 2006 was 12.6 per cent using the median and 17.2 per cent using the mean. This means that women who work full time are paid on average 87.4 per cent of men's hourly earnings using the median and 82.8 per cent using the mean.  The full-time gender pay gap decreased by 0.4 percentage points in 2006 using the median but increased by 0.1 percentage points using the mean. This was due to a higher growth in the earnings of men working full-time in the top decile. Because the mean can be distorted by a small number of high earners, who are predominantly men, the Office of National Statistics in the UK now recommends measuring the gender pay gap using the median value.

In 1963, average wages for women were about 59% of the wages paid to men. In the UK, the gender pay gap derived from median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) in 2006 was 12.6 per cent using the median and 17.2 per cent using the mean. This means that women who work full time are paid on average 87.4 per cent of men's hourly earnings using the median and 82.8 per cent using the mean.  The full-time gender pay gap decreased by 0.4 percentage points in 2006 using the median but increased by 0.1 percentage points using the mean. This was due to a higher growth in the earnings of men working full-time in the top decile. Because the mean can be distorted by a small number of high earners, who are predominantly men, the Office of National Statistics in the UK now recommends measuring the gender pay gap using the median value.

==Gender Equality duty 2007==

==Gender Equality duty 2007==

On April 6 2007 the Gender Equality Duty came into effect in the UK. It was designed to be pro-active in tackling polices and practices that superficially appear gender neutral but can contribute to greater inequality.  

On April 6, 2007, the Gender Equality Duty came into effect in the [[United Kingdom]]. It was designed to be pro-active in tackling polices and practices that superficially appear gender neutral but can contribute to greater inequality.  

The law deals with disadvantage to both genders generated by work patterns adopted by employers. Women are disadvantaged by systems that take no account of caring responsibilities, different patterns of working life, or greater vulnerability to domestic violence and sexual assault. Men are disadvantaged when workplaces do not recognize their family or childcare responsibilities or when family support services assume they are less involved in parenting, or when health services do not take into account their different needs. For example, research shows that men are less likely to visit their GP, and so may progress further into diseases such as lung cancer before being diagnosed.

The law deals with disadvantage to both genders generated by work patterns adopted by employers. Women are disadvantaged by systems that take no account of caring responsibilities, different patterns of working life, or greater vulnerability to domestic violence and sexual assault. Men are disadvantaged when workplaces do not recognize their family or childcare responsibilities or when family support services assume they are less involved in parenting, or when health services do not take into account their different needs. For example, research shows that men are less likely to visit their GP, and so may progress further into diseases such as lung cancer before being diagnosed.