Dive Brief:
- A nonprofit medical center in California agreed to pay $195,000 to settle allegations that it paid a female physician assistant less than her male counterpart for performing a similar job, despite the male physician assistant not having prior experience, according to a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission news release issued Tuesday.
- An EEOC investigation found that the employer, Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, paid the physician assistant who filed an EEOC charge of discrimination, as well as two other women, less than the male worker from about April 2022 through August 2023, the federal agency said.
- The alleged pay discrepancy violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits compensation discrimination on the basis of sex, and the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which requires employers to pay equal wages to women and men who perform similar jobs, per EEOC. The medical center could not immediately be reached for comment.
Dive Insight:
“This is a good reminder for all employers to set objective criteria when making compensation decisions and to apply those criteria consistently,” Margaret Ly, director of EEOC’s San Jose local office, said. “Instead of basing pay on factors such as prior salary that may be discriminatory, employers should independently evaluate an individual’s job-related qualifications.”
The agency learned of the alleged discrimination after the female physician assistant filed an EEOC charge of discrimination in July 2023 against the medical center, which operates 15 health centers and clinics.
“It was important to question why I and other women were being compensated less than our male counterpart for performing comparable work,” the filing physician assistant said. “I am grateful to the EEOC for upholding our right to equal pay. I hope this case encourages others who find themselves in similar situations to advocate for their rights.”
Through the pre-litigation conciliation process, the employer agreed to a two-year plan under which it would provide compensatory damages, revise its nondiscrimination policies, conduct a pay equity study and provide training, among other requirements, EEOC said.
EEOC outlines tips for employers to prevent pay discrimination, such as making sure managers involved in pay decisions document their decisions about pay and bonuses, retaining those records and consistently applying compensation criteria. The agency also recommends that employers maintain records that explain differences in pay between male and female workers.
Progress on shrinking the gender pay gap has stalled in the U.S., even as the number of pay transparency laws climbs, according to Payscale’s recent Gender Pay Gap report. In 2025, women earn 83 cents for every dollar men make, a gap that widens as women age, per the report.
