An Analysis on the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Effect on Women Faculty in Higher Education
The number of women in higher education is growing but they are still faced with the innate discrimination of being a woman. While higher education institutions have not been absolved from the gender wage gap issue, they have been one of the slowest to adapt to the growing workforce of women. This research study examined one form of persistent discrimination, the gender wage gap, and how it impacts women faculty members at higher education institutions in the United States through three research articles. The purpose of this research was to examine the historical foundations of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and to analyze wage-based discrimination cases filed by women faculty in higher education between 2000 and 2024, including the outcomes of those cases. Women scholars are dynamic in their roles and higher education institutions should plan to meet the changing demographics of a traditionally male dominated system. Based on the literature reviewed, the pay gap that persists today shows the need for higher education institutions to work on pay inequities before judicial action is taken. This research study is comprised of three articles: Chapter 2 looks at the theoretical and contextual foundation of the Equal Pay Act; Chapter 3 provides empirical evidence through data analysis of 114 court cases; and Chapter 4 provides qualitative analysis using the Statsky & Wernet case brief method.
Equal Pay Act of 1963, gender equality in higher education, gender wage gap, wage discrimination, women faculty and discrimination, women in higher education
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