Final answer:
The Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 is the law that requires employers to provide equal pay for equal work regardless of sex, playing a crucial role in reducing the gender wage gap.
Step-by-step explanation:
The law that states an employer must not discriminate in pay against a specific sex if work performed is similar is known as the Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963. The EPA mandates that employers must provide equal pay for men and women who perform equal work in the same workplace. This law plays a significant role in mitigating the gender wage gap, although it has not been able to completely eliminate it. Studies show that even after accounting for factors like education, career, and life choices, a gender pay discrepancy still persists, which can often be linked to systemic discrimination.
The U.S. has enacted additional anti-discrimination legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Other laws like the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 also protect employees from discrimination based on age and pregnancy status, respectively.