Obama's Fair Pay Act: A Catalyst for Equality - Essay Sample

Introduction

The first legislation assented by President Obama Barrack after being sworn into office is the Fair Pay Act. The Act's principal purpose was to improve, encourage, and support fair pay practices (Wade, 2018). This Act protects employees from discrimination based on gender, race, or religion and ensures equal remuneration in organizations' pay structure. The law was promulgated to dissuade employers from unequal pay practices. The implementation of the Act is crucial for its impact to be realized in the future in equal and fair remuneration realization.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Background of the Act

Ledbetter experienced and made complaints against pay discrimination when working as a supervisor. Ledbetter complained of getting a significantly reduced pay than her male colleagues working at the same level in the company. Consequently, this ultimately led to a court battle where the Supreme Court ruling was against her. The judgment became the first legislation President Barack Obama signed as the USA leader overturning and vetoing all decisions made by the court. Likewise, this extended the timeframe given to employees to assess the validity of pay discrimination because it is hard determining the pay for other individuals (Boris & Elias, 2017). The legislation is affirmative support for equal pay for employees. The Act also keeps employers in check, reminding them of the consequences of practicing pay discrimination.

Impact of the Lilly Ledbetter Act

The American workforce is felting the Act's positive influence. The benefits of the decision are it acts as a reflection for those straying from fair pay, which is still present today. The fair pay deal has been fundamental across all occupations in the war to achieve equal pay. The Ledbetter Act has accorded an avenue for those discriminated due to gender, race, or religion in pay practices until now. This has led to more people filing complaints in court due to pay discrimination. The Ledbetter court case served as a vital factor in igniting the fair and equal pay movement. However, more needs to be done for the marginalized people in the workplace to have fair pay. The marginalized people in the workplace are still underpaid devoid there is equal pay legislation.

The Future of the Fair Pay Act

The Fair Pay legislation has had a progressive impact on the fair pay process, but there are still threats arising from future potential lawsuits on unequal pay. In the event of an economic crisis, this would result in massive job losses cause the fear for employees to file pay discrimination lawsuits. The Ledbetter case ruling is still a positive move with immediate affirmative effects in the job sector. Employers are required to guarantee a fair pay structure for all religions, races, and genders since unfair pay cases related cases have dwindled. Employers are now vigilant and ensure the proper records for workers to mitigate and defend against potential litigation filed against the organization.

Conclusion

The signing of the Fair Pay Act has proved to be vital in the fight for fair pay. The less privileged in the workplace, be it gender, race, or religion, still face different forms of discrimination with unequal pay included. The Ledbetter Act has shifted practices in the right direction in the fight against pay discrimination. Lilly Ledbetter, a victim of discrimination against fair compensation, has become a pioneer for this program, and with government involvement, an accelerated practice and regulations will be achieved. National sensitization programs to created awareness, of the Equal Pay Act, in the future, will assist many employees with problems involving fair pay.

References

Boris, E., & Elias, A. L. (2017). Workplace discrimination, equal pay, and sexual harassment. Oxford Handbooks Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190204204.013.10

Wade, M. L. (2018). Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3607-1