Women have entered the workforce in record numbers over the past 50 years. Despite the enactment of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, many women continue to earn significantly lower pay than men for equal work, earning on average just 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. This gap is even wider for women of color. These pay disparities exist in both the private and governmental sectors. In many instances, the pay disparities can only be due to continued intentional discrimination or the lingering effects of past discrimination. After controlling for educational attainment, occupation, industry, union status, race, ethnicity and labor force experience, roughly 40% of the pay gap remains unexplained.

Pay inequity not only affects women; it affects children and families and our economy. The bipartisan Paycheck Fairness Act will:

• Strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
• Help eliminate the gender wage gap.
• Guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable.
• End the practice of pay secrecy.
• Strengthen the available remedies for wronged employees.
• Ban employers from seeking salary history, so they have one less false justification for underpaying women and people of color.

Reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the Paycheck Fairness Act passed the House on April 15. It was introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) in the Senate on February 3 and is still pending. Please use our pre-drafted letters to urge your senators to co-sponsor and support S. 205. If they have already sponsored or co-sponsored the bill, you can send a message of thanks.

Click here to see an advocacy reporting map on this action.