In October of last year I posted a blog that discussed the results of a gender-based pay study conducted at the University of Michigan.  The results were not encouraging.   Women were disadvantaged by far more than one would expect in today's age.   We needed an initiative for change.  Fortunately President Obama has taken such an initiative last week as he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law.

The fair pay act will permit employees to more easily sue their employers if they feel they are a victim of pay discrimination.   The window of time allotted for a person to bring action is extended, from 180 days of receiving the first paycheck that constituted pay discrimination, to 180 days for each paycheck.   Employers, therefore, are going to have to provide detailed attention to their employees and to any signs of unacceptable behavior relating to compensation.

The new law is a high point for civil rights activists.  President Obama is the embodiment of equal opportunity for minorities and he is making sure that no one gets left behind.  The law helps to avert discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age and disability.  After signing the bill, the president said in a conference, "It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign - the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act - that it is upholding one of this nation's first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness."

The new law was named in honor of Lilly Ledbetter, a former Goodyear employee from Alabama.  As she was approaching retirement with Goodyear, Ledbetter discovered she was a victim of pay discrimination — her male colleagues were getting paid more than she was even though they were doing the same amount of work.  She brought the issue to court and although initially victorious, the Supreme Court overruled on the grounds that she did not take action within the 180 day window. 

The Obama Administration had the Act on the top of their priority list.  I think this is a genuine and memorable way to kick off the administration of the White House – the President is reassuring his voters that the "change" he campaigned on will in fact, be implemented.