Equal Pay Day Quiz

1.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 amended what federal law?

A.

The Civil Rights Act of 1866
B.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964
C.

FMLA - The Family and Medical Leave Act
D.

FLSA - The Fair Labor Standards Act

Correct Answer
D. FLSA - The Fair Labor Standards Act

Explanation
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 amended the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at eliminating wage disparities based on gender.
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was designed to protect the civil rights of African-Americans following the American Civil War.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation, unequal voter registration requirements, and discrimination in the workplace and in public accommodations.
The Family and Medical Leave Act allows eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.

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2.

Under the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which of the following is not a valid explanation for a difference in earnings by gender among similar employees?

A.

Seniority
B.

Quality of production
C.

Quantity of production
D.

None of the above

Correct Answer
D. None of the above

Explanation
Section 206 states:
"No employer having employees subject to any provision of this section shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex in such establishment for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions, except where such payment is made pursuant to (i) a seniority system; (ii) a merit system; (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production; or (iv) a differential based on any factor other than sex: Provided, that an employer who is paying a wage rate differential in violation of this subsection shall not, in order to comply with the provisions of this subsection, reduce the wage rate of any employee."

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3.

What is the size of the unadjusted gender pay gap (i.e., the difference between median annual earnings of men and women)?

A.

77 cents per hour
B.

23 cents per hour
C.

15 cents per hour
D.

8 cents per hour

Correct Answer
B. 23 cents per hour

Explanation
The unadjusted gender pay gap is 23 cents per hour. This is most frequently expressed in the "77 Cents" statistic: women earn 77 cents for every $1.00 earned by their male counterparts.

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4.

Which of the following employee charateristics explains in part the raw gender wage gap?

A.

Union status
B.

Hours worked
C.

Occupational choice
D.

All of the above

Correct Answer
D. All of the above

Explanation
Research indicates that occupational choice, industry choice, labor market experience, union status, hours worked, and a variety of other factors (e.g., cash/benefits tradeoff, salary expectations, etc.) explain a substantial portion of the raw gender wage gap.

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5.

The LIlly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act of 2009 was the first piece of legislation signed into law that reset the statute of limitations for filing a pay discrimination lawsuit with the issuance of each new discriminatory paycheck.

A.

True
B.

False

Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
The "Paycheck Accrual Rule" of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act originally reset the time period for filing a claim with the issuance of each new discriminatory paycheck:

(e)(3)(A) For purposes of this section, an unlawful employment practice occurs, with respect to discrimination in compensation in violation of this title, when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when an individual becomes subject to a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, or when an individual is affected by application of a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid, resulting in whole or in part from such a decision or other practice.

(B) In addition to any relief authorized by section 1977A of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1981a), liability may accrue and an aggrieved person may obtain relief as provided in subsection (g)(1), including recovery of back pay for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to unlawful employment practices with regard to discrimination in compensation that occurred outside the time for filing a charge.

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6.

In its current form, The Paycheck Fairness Act would create a competitive grant program for which of the following activities?

A.

Salary negotiation training for women
B.

Salary negotiation training for all hiring managers
C.

Salary negotiation training for hiring managers employed by federal contractors
D.

Salary negotiation training for pay specialists employed by federal contractors

Correct Answer
A. Salary negotiation training for women

Explanation
The Paycheck Fairness Act would create a competitive grant program to develop salary negotiation training for women and girls.

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7.

If a wage disparity adverse to women is found among similarly situated workers, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires that women's earnings be increased and prohibits decreasing men's earnings.

A.

True
B.

False

Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
Section 206 states:
"an employer who is paying a wage rate differential in violation of this subsection shall not, in order to comply with the provisions of this subsection, reduce the wage rate of any employee."

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8.

"Equal Pay For Equal Work" expresses the same idea as "Comparable Worth".

A.

True
B.

False

Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
"Equal pay for equal work" refers to the concept that individuals who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility, and that are performed under similar working conditions within the same establishment should be paid the same.
"Comparable worth" refers to the concept that different job titles that have the same value to the employer should be paid the same. The foundation of comparable worth is the notion that the jobs typically performed by women are undervalued in the marketplace.

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9.

Among the following occupations, which has the smallest difference in median weekly earnings by gender?

A.

Chief Executives
B.

Physicians and Surgeons
C.

Computer Software Engineers
D.

Computer and Information Systems Managers

Correct Answer
C. Computer Software Engineers

Explanation
According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research Fact Sheet April 2011, the ratio of female-to-male median weekly earnings for computer software engineers is 90.9%. The ratio for chief executives is 72.1%. The raio for physicians and surgeons is 71.0%. The ratio for computer and information systems managers is 81.8%.

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10.

Which state has the smallest difference in median annual earnings by gender?

A.

New York
B.

Washington, DC
C.

Illinois
D.

California

Correct Answer
B. Washington, DC

Explanation
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2009, the ratio of female-to-male median annual earnings in Washington, DC is 88%. The ratio in New York is 83%. The ratio in Illinois is 77%. The ratio in California is 83%.

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