Equal Pay: A Thirty-Five Year Perspective.

Issued on the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act (1963), this report is a historical analysis of the economic trends affecting women workers from the years leading up to passage of the act through the present. It is divided into three time periods to highlight important developments: Part I--The Early Impact of the Equal Pay Act, 1960-1975; Part II--Making Their Place in the Work Force, 1975-1985; and Part III--Moving Forward--Making a Difference, 1985-1997. Within each time frame, the report provides data on women's labor force participation, leading occupations, and educational attainment. When available, it also includes data on wages, issues particular to women from minority groups, and other trends. The conclusion, Part IV--Issues to Watch in the New Century, sums up these patterns and discusses trends to watch for in the future. Nine figures and 23 tables are included. Two appendixes present (1) chronology and tables on equal pay; and (2) data supporting figures in the text. The report shows that the Equal Pay Act laid the foundation for massive changes not only in women's pay but in patterns of work and the nature of work. Working women were affected by these changes and they were agents of change. Since the passage of the act, women's wages have risen from an average of 59 percent of men's wages to 76 percent of men's wages. (KC)