Barbara Lee Statement on Equal Pay Day
Media Contact: Joel Payne, (202) 225-2661
Washington, DC - Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) released the following statement today in recognition of Equal Pay Day:
“Equal Pay Day is an important time to reflect upon the notable advances that have been made to shrink the gap in gender pay inequity and the long road that remains ahead of us to completely eliminate this disparity. 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 serious obstacle for women in the U.S. workforce. For every dollar paid to men, a woman in America is paid only 80 cents for equal work.
“And for women of color, the gaps are even more severe. In the Bay Area, relative to White men, African American women earn just 69 cents on the dollar and Hispanic women earn even less at 60 cents. By age 65, the average woman in America has been denied almost $380,000 in earned wages due to the gender gap in pay. Further, as women comprise a growing portion of the workforce, the cumulative effect of wage discrimination hurts women and their families across the country.
“Although the pay gap has narrowed over the last half century since the enactment of the Equal Pay Act, that positive trend has stagnated over the past decade. Passing the Lilly Ledbetter Act into law during the 111th Congress was a great first step, but we must remain vigilant. Today, I am proud to continue the fight for pay equity and co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen a woman’s position to demand her equal and earned pay. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that all Americans are compensated equally and fairly, irrespective of race or gender.”
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