Equal Pay Act of 1963
In 1942, Republican congresswoman Winifred C. Stanley from Buffalo, N.Y. introduced H.R. 5056, Prohibiting Discrimination in Pay on Account of Sex, which did not pass at the time. The issue languished until 10 June 1963, when Congress passed the Equal Pay Act ("EPA" or the "Act") as an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act, to "prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers."
The Feminine Mystique
Politicians began to recognize the frustrations of women due in part to Betty Friedan. In 1963 the commission appointed to review the status of women recommended an end to inequities. Legislation followed. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 stipulated that women receive the same pay as men for the same work.