Barbara Lee Commemorates Equal Pay Day
Press Release
For Immediate Release: April 22, 2008
Contact: Cleve Mesidor, (202) 225-2661
Barbara Lee Commemorates Equal Pay Day
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) released the following statement to commemorate Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year:
“It is past time for women to be guaranteed equal pay for equal work. Equal Pay Day marks the point in the year it takes a woman to make the same amount of money made by a man in the previous year. Women make 77 cents to each man’s dollar. African American women earn just 63 cents on the dollar, and Hispanic American women fare worse, at 52 cents. As women grow older, the wage gap widens: women aged 45 to 64, who preparing for retirement, earn only 71 percent of what men do. At the rate this gap has been closing over time, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research estimates equity will not be achieved until 2057. That is unacceptable.
“Ending the cycle of poverty for women and men in our nation will require ensuring that everyone, regardless of their economic status, has the ability to attain employment. Under the Bush administration, our nation’s economy has fallen into recession, as the foreclosure crisis has further compromised the economic security of Americans.
“Now more than ever, we must close the pay gap. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure equity in wages for all Americans.”
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) is Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a member of the Appropriations Committee, where she serves on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee.
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