The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

We all know women are not worth less than men, so why are they paid less?  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women who work full-time earn an average of 77 cents for every dollar men earn.  Also, in 2008, women were 35 percent more likely to live in poverty than men, a statistic that is even worse for women of color.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 narrowed the wage gap between men and women in employment, but, almost 50 years later, many women are still forced to raise their families on incomes that are significantly lower than male colleagues performing the same jobs.  The Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) will help ensure that women workers are not shortchanged.  This bill will prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who disclose or discuss their salaries; improve wage data collection; and put remedies for gender-based wage discrimination on an equal footing with discrimination based on race or ethnicity.

In this tough economy, more and more families are counting on the earnings of women breadwinners. Unfair pay practices make things even harder, especially for those families who rely solely on the earnings of women heads of households.  The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2009, and now it’s time for the Senate to do the same.

Call your senators  at 202-224-3121 and urge them to help close the wage gap by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.
 

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