Barbara Lee Releases Statement on Equal Pay Day
For Immediate Release
April 28, 2009
Contact: Nicole Y. Williams
(202) 225-2661
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in recognition of Equal Pay Day.
“Although the wage gap between men and women has narrowed since the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, gender-based wage discrimination remains a significant problem for women in the U.S. workforce. It is a shame that women, particularly minority women, earn a fraction of what men earn for the same job.
“For women of color, the gaps are even more severe. African American women earn just 63 cents on the dollar and Hispanic women earn far worse at 52 cents. In my own state of California, black women working full-time, year round earned only 61 percent, and Hispanic women only 42 percent, of the wages of White men. This legislation is a positive step towards equity for women in the workplace.
“The signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Act into law by President Obama earlier this year was a positive first step, but we still have a long way to go. I will continue to work with my colleagues in congress to ensure that all Americans are paid equally and fairly for the work that they do.”