the pay gap, the glass ceiling, and pay bias:
moving forward 50 years after the equal pay act
Prepared for the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Annual
Labor and Employment Law Conference 2013*
© 2013, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. All rights reserved.
These materials are distributed for informational purposes only and are not
intended, nor should be construed as, legal advice.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction .......................................................................................... 1
II. The History of the EPA and Pay Bias Laws ........................................ 3
III. The Government “Crackdown” to Address the Pay Gap ..................... 5
A. A Focus on Bias .......................................................................... 5
B. The Results of the Government’s Enforcement Efforts
Suggest Factors Other Than Bias Are at Play ............................ 6
IV. Understanding the Complex Factors Contributing to the
Pay Gap and the Glass Ceiling ............................................................. 8
A. StudiesReectThatWomen’sDecisionMakingPlays
a Key Role and the Impact of Bias Is Unclear ..........................8
B. Women’sRolesasPrimaryCaregiversImpactthePayGap ....13
C. “ExecutiveFeminists”HaveSparkedaNewDialogue
toFurtherUnderstandPayDisparitiesandCrackthe
Glass Ceiling ..............................................................................14
D. The“IdealWorker”Model ........................................................17
V. BridgingtheGapRequiresaSocialDialogueonShiftingCulture .... 20
VI. WillNewEqualPayLegislationNarrowtheGap? .............................21
A. ThePFAImposesSignicantBurdensonEmployers
toDefendIndividualizedCompensationDecisions ............... 22
B. Even if Amended, the EPA Offers Limited Relief
toWomenattheTop ................................................................. 24
C. TheFairPayActand“ComparableWorth” ............................. 28
VII. Alternative Government Initiatives Could Impact Known
Causes of the Pay Gap ........................................................................ 29
VIII. Conclusion .......................................................................................... 30
