Many states have laws prohibiting gender-based differences in compensation for jobs requiring equal skill, effort, and responsibility that are performed under similar working conditions. These laws are commonly known as equal pay acts. Other states have gone further and enacted prohibitions against gender-based pay discrimination between jobs that, though not equal (or even similar), are of comparable value to the employer. These laws are known as comparable worth laws.
Mississippi does not have legislation addressing either equal pay or comparable worth. However, employers that are covered under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (i.e., engaged in interstate commerce) are subject to the requirements of the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which does prohibit paying men and women differently for substantially equal jobs.
State law prohibits public employers from discriminating against employees or applicants based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap (MS Code Sec. 25-9-149).