What qualifies as “wage discrimination”?
Wage discrimination applies in cases where employees are doing substantially similar jobs, but receive unequal compensation. To support a discrimination claim under the Equal Pay Act, two employees, one male and one female, must work in the same place, do equal work, and receive unequal pay. • What does “substantially similar” mean? Two employees don’t necessarily have to have identical jobs – their jobs just need to be substantially equal. The EEOC advises that it is the job duties, not titles, which determine whether they are similar. The EEOC provides these five guidelines on determining similarities: Skill: Employee skills are measured by experience, ability, education, and training required to perform the job. Only the skills required for the job are relevant. This means that two plumber positions are considered equal, even if one of the job holders has a law degree. An expertise in law is not necessary in the plumbing field, so these two plumbing positions are considered equal in
