They chose a Tuesday in April to represent how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned the previous year.
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Women earn about 79 cents for every dollar men earn, according to Census data.
Terie Norelli, the former Democratic speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, said equal pay was not only a matter of fairness but economics; she said paying women the same as men would inject billions of dollars into the national economy.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) also joined the panel to discuss the Joint Economic Committee’s report on the gender wage gap and the recent wage-discrimination complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by members of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team. For instance, a woman with young children may have a job with a title that reflects her seniority but opts to work at a company that pays somewhat less in exchange for more flexibility. We also must ensure that women join unions in their workplace.
With so many women in the workforce, it might be hard to remember that even though men and women share offices, lunch breaks and water coolers, the numbers on their pay checks are grossly different.
The median full-time pay for women is $39,621 compared to $50,383, according to Census data from 2014. But Alabama is not the only state with a wage gap.
Although enforcement of the Equal Pay Act and other civil rights laws has helped to narrow the wage gap, significant disparities still must be addressed.
Women starting their careers today will make about $430,000 less than a man in the same job.
Hired shows that gender pay gaps are smaller at startups than in larger organizations.
Among the bills drafted, Lawmakers hope for both penalties for work places who discriminate or pay unequally, and rewards for those who uphold equal pay. Hispanic and Latina women make only 54% of what white men do, African American women make 63%, and coming closest, Asian American women still only make 90% of what white men do.
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Companies like Amazon and Apple are facing pressure for transparency and to disclose what they pay all their employees.
