Dems Mark Equal Pay Day by Fighting to Close Women’s Pay Gap

David Streeter — April 12, 2011 – 5:13 pm | Democrats | Economy | Women's Issues Comments (0) Add a comment

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act in the Senate today—on Equal Pay Day—in order to commemorate and continue the fight for equal pay for women.

Reid said of the current wage disparity between men and women:

Every week the average American woman must work seven days to take home the same paycheck it takes a man only five days to earn. Sadly, this benchmark represents progress. That’s why we must all work harder every day, including Equal Pay Day, to ensure every American’s salary is determined by skill rather than gender.

And Mikulski said:

Women make this country run - we are business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians, mothers and more. “We also bring home a growing share of the family pocketbook. But we earn just 77 cents for every dollar our male counterpart makes, and women of color get even less. Inexplicably, these disparities exist across all levels of education and occupation. ... This is unacceptable, and with many Americans earning less and operating on smaller family budgets, the issue of pay equity is being felt now more than ever.

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who is the lead sponsor of the House version of the bill said:

The Equal Pay Act was supposed to end these wage inequalities, but it is clear that that has not happened. Let us finally ensure that America’s women, who make up half our nation’s workforce, are treated as fairly and equitably as the other half. Let’s give real teeth to the Equal Pay Act at last, and do what we can to make this one of the last ‘Equal Pay Days’ in our history.

In addition to strengthening existing regulations, the Paycheck Fairness Act contains specific provisions that make it more difficult for employers to justify paying women less than men. More about the bill can be read here.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is the latest demonstration that the Democratic Party is the party that mirrors the values of the vast majority of American Jews because of the shared commitments to advancing women’s rights and working for social and economic justice.

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