Realistic & Fair Wages
Living wages for mothers and equal pay for equal work.
Women are now half of the paid labor force in our nation for the first time ever. The labor of working women is increasingly essential to their family’s economic security, and is now also critical to the overall economic health of the United States. However, the public and private policies that affect parenting and the workplace have remained largely unchanged during this massive societal shift. As a result, families are reeling and parents of all socioeconomic backgrounds are struggling to earn enough and keep their families healthy.
On average, according to the U.S. Census, women now make only 80 cents to a man’s dollar, with moms and women of color experiencing more extreme wage hits. No longer should equally qualified women be paid less for the same job as a man. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that we, as a nation, make family economic security issues like pay equity a priority!
Paycheck Fairness Act
The Paycheck Fairness Act is a much needed update of the 55-year-old Equal Pay Act. It’s a comprehensive bill that would create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, empower women to negotiate for equal pay, and strengthen federal outreach, education, and enforcement efforts. The bill would also deter wage discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations and by prohibiting retaliation against workers who ask about employers’ wage practices or disclose their own wages.
It's absolutely essential that we, as a nation, address family economic security issues like pay equity front and center. Women are now half of the paid labor force in our nation. The labor of working women is increasingly essential to their family's economic security, and is now also critical to the overall economic health of the United States. However, the public and private policies that affect parenting and the workplace have remained largely unchanged during this massive societal shift. As a result, families are reeling and parents of all socioeconomic backgrounds are struggling to earn enough and keep their families healthy.
More Fair Pay Resources
Blog posts
Take Action
The fact that we're marking another Equal Pay Day due to continued unequal pay is frustrating, but it's also an important reminder that we can, and we will, persist and that together we can make a difference to help close the wage gap.
We're counting on Congress and the EEOC to make sure we don't allow gender and race wage gaps to continue to shortchange women and their families.
February 22nd was AAPI women's equal pay day, marking how far into 2018 that AAPI women have to work to make what white men were paid in 2017 alone. Don't let pay discrimination get swept under the rug!
Let the Senate know that women and families should not have to choose between a paycheck and a healthy pregnancy. They need to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act!