Equal Pay Day Shows Equity is Still a Way Away

April 28 is Equal Pay Day — the point in 2009 when the average woman’s wages finally catch up with what the average man earned in 2008. Women still earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men — and for women of color, the numbers are even worse. African-American women earn 69 cents and Latinas earn 59 cents for every dollar paid to men. According to the American Association of University Women, in 2004, a typical college-educated woman working full-time earned $31,223 a year, compared to $40,798 for a college-educated man – a stark difference of $9,575.

Red is worn on this day as a symbol of how far women and minorities are "in the red" with their pay because of pay discrimination. According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, nationwide, working families lose $200 billion on income annually to the wage gap. Lower wages also mean less income from pensions and Social Security, making women more likely than men to enter poverty at an old age.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signed by President Obama as the first new law of his Presidency, is a great start, but there are two other important pieces of legislation we need to pass to continue working to ensure pay equity.

The Paycheck Fairness Act builds on the Ledbetter bill to deter wage discrimination against women. The bill has already passed the House this year, and there's strong momentum to move it forward in the Senate. Please write to your Senators and urge them to support the Paycheck Fairness Act (and double your impact by taking action with the National Women's Law center too).

Assemblymember Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) introduced state legislation today to ensure that victims of pay discrimination continue to have a fair opportunity to seek redress in the courts. AB 793 clarifies that the time period for alleging pay discrimination claims runs from the date of each payment of a discriminatory wage. Tell your Assemblymember to support AB 793! Find your state legislators through: www.leginfo.ca.gov

Also, check out this Equal Pay Day quick action kit, for more you can do to help us move towards true pay equity!