Equal Pay Act 1970

The Equal Pay Act 1970 was a United Kingdom statute prohibiting less favourable treatment between men and women in pay and conditions of employment. It received royal assent on 29 May 1970 but did not come into operation until 29 December 1975, a five year delay intended to give employers time to adjust pay structures. Public opinion had shifted decisively toward equal pay for equal work by the late 1960s, and the 1968 Ford sewing machinists' strike brought gender pay discrimination into wide public view; the act also helped align British employment law with Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome as the country moved toward European Community membership. It was later superseded by the Equality Act 2010 but remains foundational to the development of British employment discrimination law.