Scott Statement on Equal Pay Day
WASHINGTON— House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) issued the following statement on Equal Pay Day, which reflects how far into the current year women must work to match what men earned in the previous year:
“With nearly 61 consecutive months of job growth, the labor market continues to expand and provide Americans with more employment opportunities, but despite this tremendous progress, wealth inequality in our country continues to grow. This rising inequality is only exacerbated by the gender wage gap. Nearly 50 percent of our workforce is not attaining their full earning potential simply because they are women.
“On this Equal Pay Day we are reminded that the wage gap is a reality that millions of women across the nation have to face every day. Women on average make 78 cents for every dollar earned by men, causing a $10,876 annual gap between full-time working men and women. For women of color, the statistics are even worse: African American women on average earn only 64 cents and Latinas on average earn only 56 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. The wage gap is costing families over $400,000 over a woman’s career.
“The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signed into law in 2009 by President Obama, provided women and other workers with the ability to justly challenge unlawful pay discrimination in the workplace. This was a landmark step in the fight for wage fairness, but it was just the beginning. Republicans and Democrats must join together to ensure that every hard-working American can earn a living and fair wage, regardless of gender. That is why I urge my colleagues in Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which will ensure equal pay for equal work. Wage equity is essential to strengthening our middle class and building a lasting economic recovery that benefits all Americans.”
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