Press Release
April 17, 2012
Congresswoman Susan Davis Works to Close Gender Pay Gap
WASHINGTON – On Equal Pay Day, Congresswoman Susan Davis said more needs to be done to close the wage gap that still exists between women and men, and promises to continue to work to do so.
“Women still only earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men,” said Rep. Davis. “Equal pay is not simply a women’s issue – it’s a family issue. Families increasingly rely on women’s wages to make ends meet. In typical married households, women’s incomes accounted for 36 percent of total family income in 2008, up from 29 percent in 1983.”
Achieving equal pay for women has been one of the top priorities of Democrats. In January 2009, the Democratic-led 111th Congress sent to the President’s desk the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restoring the right of individuals to challenge unfair pay in court.
Despite the Lilly Ledbetter Act, Davis said there is still more work to do. She is fighting for the enactment of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would provide a much-needed update to the 49-year-old Equal Pay Act by providing effective remedies to women who are not being paid equal wages for doing equal work.
“Equal Pay Day 2012 should be a reminder to everyone that in order to strengthen the middle class we need to ensure fairness in America,” concluded Davis.
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