A violation under the Equal Pay Act involves two workers of different genders who work for the same employer, are performing the same work under similar work conditions and do not receive the same pay. Additionally, the pay difference is based on the gender of the people involved. For instance, two workers, one male and one female who both work in a retail store. One employee is paid $20 per hour and the other is paid $15 per hour even though they perform the same function and work the same hours. If the discrepancy in pay is due to gender, then the employer has likely violated the Equal Pay Act. Title VII covered discriminatory conduct by an employer based on a protected status or characteristic such as race, color, national original, sex and religion. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees. Title VII is much broader than the Equal Pay Act and covers discriminatory conduct and violations in the application process, hiring, firing, promotion and other aspects of employment whereas the Equal Pay Act only covers discriminatory conduct based on unequal pay between persons of different genders.
