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| House Passes Bill to End Wage Discrimination | | July 31, 2008 | |
| -Paycheck Fairness legislation to strengthen landmark Equal Pay Act-
Washington, DC – Standing up against a veto threat by President Bush, the House today passed the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338), legislation to crack down on employers who violate the law by paying men and women unequal wages for performing the same job. The legislation, which was co-sponsored by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) who chairs the Subcommittee on Workforce Protection, passed by a vote of 247 to 178. At a press conference following the bill’s passage, Woolsey told reporters how unequal pay places an undue burden on millions of families led by single mothers.
“Today there are millions of single mothers in our country who are struggling to provide for their families, many while balancing full time jobs,” said Woolsey, who herself relied on public assistance to make ends meet as a single mother of three. “In fact, single mothers are twice as likely as fathers to raise their children in poverty. Unfortunately, so long as women continue to receive pennies on the dollar compared to their male counterparts, this statistic is unlikely to change any time soon.”
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. The Paycheck Fairness Act would close a number of loopholes in the Equal Pay Act, ensuring that employers who engage in gender wage discrimination are held accountable.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. The Institute of Women’s Policy Research concluded that this wage disparity will cost a woman anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over her lifetime in lost wages.
“The Paycheck Fairness Act is about a lot more than fixing a couple of loopholes,” said Woolsey. “It’s about strengthening families, and finally recognizing that equal work deserves equal pay.” |
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