Timeline of Crucial Wage Gap Legislation
Click on a year to find out more about the legislation released that year that helped advance the rights or minorities and attempted to close the wage gap.
NB: EO is the shorthand for Executive Order.
Civil Rights Act of 1991
"Damages in Cases of Intentional Discrimination."
(Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Title VII)
Details
Signing Date: November 21, 1991
President in Office: George H. W. Bush
Background: The need to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act came about by a series of court cases (Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, and Martin v. Wilks), all of which were controversial in their decisions. All the rulings exploited loopholes in the wording of Title VII to deny affirmative action policies. These court cases proved the need to further amend Title VII to create a piece of working and effective legislation.
The Act and its Achievements: The Act attempted to simplify the wording of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to effectively ensure that employees that are discriminated against have a better chance to fight for their rights without being exploited by legal loopholes in wording. It increased the circumstances under which a person who is discriminated against can file a lawsuit, and also allowed said person to obtain a financial reward for damages - both punitive and compensatory. The Act also set limits on the amount of damages that could be awarded to a plantiff, which depended on the size of the company. The largest amount that could be awarded in damages was $300,000 for a company of over 500 employees.
The Act also defined "the disparate impact theory of discrimination" which states that discrimination in employment can come as a result of certain rules, policies and practices that negatively impact a racial group.