Equal work deserves equal pay
According to a 2004 study, women who work full time earn about 76 cents for every dollar men earn. This discrepancy is even worse for women of color. Wage discrimination persists despite women’s increased educational attainment, greater level of experience in workforce, and decreased amount of time spent out of the workforce raising children.
AAUW continues to believe that pay equity is a simple matter of justice. To that end, AAUW supports the Paycheck Fairness Act, introduced by Sen. Hillary Clinton (DNY) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (DCT) and the Fair Pay Act, introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (DIA) and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DDC). These bills to promote pay equity would strengthen and improve the Equal Pay Act by:
- Allowing people who sue for fair wages to receive punitive and compensatory damages— beyond back pay alone;
- Reinstating the Bureau of Labor Statistics collection of data on women workers in the Current Employment Survey (CES).
- Prohibiting employers from reducing any employee’s wages in order to comply with pay equity requirements.
Take action now and urge your members of Congress to support and cosponsor both the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act! For more information on the pay gap and how you can raise awareness about this issue, go to www.aauw.org/payequity.