Employment

4th Anniversary of the Ledbetter Act

Thank President Obama for his leadership on fair pay and ask him to take the next step with a fair pay executive order.

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Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

NWLC’s fact sheet outlines the provisions of the bill and discusses the impact its passage would have for families.

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Women's Lower Wages Worsen their Circumstances

In these tough economic times, the gap in wages only compounds the hardship faced by women and their families.

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concerned woman

Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Learn more about what sexual harassment in the workplace is and how you can stop it.

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Women in the Military

In recent years the number of women serving in the armed services has grown significantly, as have the obligations women have undertaken in our nation's defense.

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Fair Pay
Pregnant Workers
Women's Wages and the Economy
Sexual Harassment
Women in the Military

Highlights

Fact Sheet | How the Paycheck Fairness Act Will Strengthen the Equal Pay Act

May 7, 2012

The Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 made it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially equal work.  Yet today, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.  The Paycheck Fairness Act would update and strengthen the EPA by improving rememdies for pay discrimination, prohibiting employer retaliation, and facilitating class action suits in equal pay claims, among other strategies.

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| National Women's Law Center Encourages HELP Committee to Support Perez Nomination

April 18, 2013

The National Women's Law Center has urged the Senate HELP Committee to support the nomination of Thomas Perez for Secretary of the Department of Labor.

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Fact Sheet | The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: Making Room for Pregnancy on the Job

May 7, 2012

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), introduced in both the House and the Senate, would let pregnant women continue to do their jobs and support their families by requiring employers to make the same sorts of accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions that they do for disabilities.  This fact sheet outlines the provisions of the bill and discusses the enormous impact its passage would have for working parents and their families.

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Fact Sheet | Closing the Wage Gap is Especially Important for Women of Color in Difficult Times

April 11, 2012

American women who work full-time, year-round are paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. But the wage gap is even larger for many women of color, with African-American women making only 62 cents, and Hispanic women only 54 cents, for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. These gaps translate into a loss of $19,575 for African-American women and $23,873 for Hispanic women every year. Closing the wage gap is, therefore, particularly important for African-American and Hispanic women, who are already more likely to have lower incomes and to be in poverty than any other group.  

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Fact Sheet | The Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012: What it Means for Low-Wage Women Workers

June 15, 2012

One year ago in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, a deeply divided Supreme Court in a narrow 5-4 decision limited workers’ ability to come together as a group to challenge discrimination by large employers. It dealt a particular blow to women in low-wage jobs, who make up a disproportionate share of the low-wage workforce. For this group of workers, the challenges of living on low wages are too often compounded by persistent workplace discrimination.  This fact sheet discusses the Equal Employmente Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 and how it will affect low-wage women workers.

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Blog Post | “Similar in Their Ability or Inability to Work” or: How Not to Discriminate Against Pregnant Employees

February 17, 2012

This week, the EEOC held a public meeting on unlawful discrimination against pregnant workers and workers with caregiving responsibilities at which experts, including the National Women’s Law Center’s own Vice President and General Counsel Emily Martin, presented compelling testimony setting out the widespread and often blatant ways in which employers continue to unlawfully discriminate in the workplace. Members of the Commission expressed dismay, if not complete surprise, that nearly 35 years after the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) was passed in 1978, discrimination on the basis of pregnancy persists, in the words of EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien, “unnecessarily depriving women of the means to support their families.”

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More Resources

Fact Sheet | Gender Discrimination in Employment Class Actions

June 15, 2012

This fact sheet provides a short review of significant cases related to gender discrimination in employment class actions.  These cases illustrate the importance of class relief for women workers across all sectors.  The court granted class certification in each of these cases, and each case resulted in a settlement or consent decree awarding monetary and other injunctive relief. 

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Fact Sheet | 32 Cents Short : Wal-Mart v. Dukes and the Extreme Wage Gap in Sales and Related Occupations

June 15, 2012

Women working in the retail sector face a large wage gap and significant obstacles to challenging pay discrimination, including the Supreme Court’s decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes. This fact sheet discusses the barriers women face to equal pay in the retail sector.

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Fact Sheet | The Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012: What it Means for Low-Wage Women Workers

June 15, 2012

One year ago in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, a deeply divided Supreme Court in a narrow 5-4 decision limited workers’ ability to come together as a group to challenge discrimination by large employers. It dealt a particular blow to women in low-wage jobs, who make up a disproportionate share of the low-wage workforce. For this group of workers, the challenges of living on low wages are too often compounded by persistent workplace discrimination.  This fact sheet discusses the Equal Employmente Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 and how it will affect low-wage women workers.

 Read more...

Fact Sheet | The Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012: What it Means for Women Workers

June 15, 2012

Last year, in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, a deeply divided Supreme Court voted 5-4 to erect significant barriers to employees’ rights to bring class actions under our nation’s nondiscrimination laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 (EEORA) will remove the obstacles the Supreme Court placed in the way of ordinary Americans seeking their day in court and provide a clear avenue for employees subject to company-wide discrimination to come together to seek redress.  This fact sheet discusses the EEORA and it's impact on women workers.

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Fact Sheet | Walmart v. Dukes: New Hurdles and a Significant Step Back for Women Employees

June 11, 2012

The Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Wal-Mart in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes struck a devastating blow for employees who seek to hold their employers accountable for discrimination and other violations of workplace law. While the decision does not mean the end of the road for the women of Wal-Mart, it does undermine their ability to achieve companywide change through their lawsuit. 

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