Gender Pay Inequality: An Examination of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Six Years Later

Abstract

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first piece of legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in January of 2009. This legislation enables an employee to sue more easily for wage discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this article, we examine the impact that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act has had on gender pay equity discrimination complaints and on how the lower courts have interpreted it since it was signed into law in January of 2009. First, we will provide a brief background about the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and a description of the legislation itself. Then we will examine any changes in discrimination complaints since its passage, and we will analyze how lower courts have interpreted the legislation. We conclude by arguing that passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act has offered little redress for gender wage discrimination since its passage six years ago. Keywords: gender discrimination, equal pay complaints, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act