Equal pay and sex discrimination seems an issue for nurses according to a recent study reporting a pay disparity of about $5,100 per year exists between male nurses and their female colleagues in similar positions. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports the New York Times WellBlog, Stubborn Pay Gap Is Found In Nursing. The pay gaps varied across nursing specialties from about $3800 annually for chronic care nurses, to $6,000 per year for cardiology nurses and $17,290 per year from nurse anesthetists.
Federal and state laws prohibiting sex discrimination in employment and the Equal Pay Act require that similarly situated, similarly qualified male and female employees performing substantially the same work under substantially the same conditions be paid the same. In practice, these are a lot of variables and how they do or do not apply will vary from workplace to workplace. In other words, the mere fact of a pay disparity between a male and a similarly-employed female employee is not also and necessarily an unlawful pay disparity.
Lexington, Kentucky discrimination lawyer Robert Abell represents individuals and employees in sex discrimination cases; contact him at 859-254-7076.
