The City has agreed to cough up more than $20.8 million to settle gender discrimination complaints filed by the New York State Nurses Association.

NYSNA and individuals filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2008 after the the City failed to recognize that nurses — a predominantly female workforce — perform “physically taxing” work.

Jobs that are determined “physically taxing” qualify an employee for early retirement and a full pension. But nurses across the city were forced to work until ages 55 or 57 to receive a full pension–unlike male counterparts in other professions, who were allowed to call it quits at age 50 and still reap a full pension.

NYSNA called the windfall “historic,” and an “acknowledgment of the injustice done to our sister and brother nurses who were denied recognition of the difficult nature of our work.

The association had been working since 2004 in order to have nursing recognized as a “physically taxing” profession.

The settlement will be divided between more than 1,600 nurses across hospitals in the city. The amount each nurse receives will depend on his or her years of service, and age, said NYSNA.

“NYSNA thanks the City of New York for their settlement today and for finally recognizing that nurses and midwives are among the hardest working residents of this city,” said Judith Cutchin, RN, NYSNA Board Member. “Unfairly denying pension benefits to NYSNA nurses was wrong and fixing this wrong was long overdue. Regardless of our gender or occupation, nurses are as deserving as anyone of equal benefits and respect for the tireless work we do every single day,”

Mayor de Blasio also lauded the payout.

“As soon as Mayor de Blasio came into office, he acknowledged that nurses and midwives have difficult, physically demanding jobs and committed to resolving their claims,” a spokesman with city hall said in a statement. “After working closely with the DOJ and NYSNA, approximately 1,700 currently employed and retired nurses and midwives will see a fair and equitable resolution for their years of service.”