Due to the gender wage gap, each woman in Pennsylvania will lose an average of about $460,000 over the course of her lifetime, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women.
Tuesday was Equal Pay Day — the day that marks how far into a year women must work in order to be paid what men were paid in the previous calendar year. On average, women who work full time are paid just 83 cents per every dollar men are paid and nearly two-thirds of people making the minimum wage are women.
The Commission, along with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, highlighted the importance of Equal Pay Day and the importance of eliminating the gender wage gap in an event in Harrisburg.
“Our commission has been addressing the gender wage gap and the impact it has on women in Pennsylvania for years,” said Commission Executive Director Moriah Hathaway. “Women make up 51% of Pennsylvania’s population and are vital to Pennsylvania’s economy but are not compensated adequately.
“Our goal is to help hard working women across Pennsylvania and enable them to better support their families. We can do this through passing equal pay legislation and raising the minimum wage,” she said.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said the pay gap disproportionately hurts women of color—who have to work even longer to close the wage gap.
“Today and every day, I am committed to advancing equality and equity for women in the workplace. In particular, women of color bear the brunt of pay inequality,” said Casey. “Equal Pay Day is a reminder that our work to end the gender wage gap is far from over. All fifty Senate Democrats support the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would close the loopholes in the Equal Pay Act.”
He continued, “I challenge my Republican colleagues to join us to support this commonsense legislation. In order to truly address paycheck inequality, we also need to invest in child care and home care to provide a bridge back to work for women who have to leave their jobs to care for a child or relative. I will continue to fight in Congress to support women and their families, advancing the cause of justice for workers across Pennsylvania and the Nation.”
The Paycheck Fairness Act would hold employers accountable for discriminatory practices, end the practice of pay secrecy, ease workers’ ability to individually or jointly challenge pay discrimination and strengthen the available remedies for wronged employees.
