Equal Pay Act 1970

The Equal Pay Act 1970 was the first piece of UK legislation which enshrined the right to pay equality between women and men. It set out that an individual can claim equal pay when she or he, when compared with a comparator of the opposite sex, is employed in:

  • Like work: Which means work that is the same or broadly similar, regardless of whether the job title is the same.
  • Work rated as equivalent: Which means work that has been rated as equivalent under a job evaluation scheme.
  • Work of equal value: Which means work that requires the same levels of effort, skill, knowledge and responsibility.

The provisions of the Equal Pay Act are mirrored in the Equality Act 2010, which brought together previously existing equalities legislation, and strengthened and simplified equalities law.

Last updated May 2016

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