The Equal Pay Act (EPA) became law in 1963 as an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Congress passed the EPA with the intent of finally prohibiting the practice of paying men and women different wages for the same work. However, upon the initial passing of the law, it did not work as intended. The FLSA lists a number of exceptions to its rules based on various factors, including the type of employment. Women employed in these exempt classes of employment were not protected by the EPA. To correct this oversight, in 1972 Congress extended the equal pay provisions of the FLSA to include exempt employees as well as nonexempt employees.