Blocking Fair Pay Act Hurts Working Women and Economic Security
November 17th, 2010
Washington, DC–“Women’s Voices. Women Vote commends those senators who stood up for fairness by voting for cloture on the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 3772). Once again, however, a minority of senators have put petty partisan maneuvering ahead of the best interests of millions of American working women and the vote failed 58-41. This is a devastating loss to women and the country.
“The wage gap is real. Despite the fact that women now make up half of the nation’s workforce, the problem of unequal pay persists nearly 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act. Fair pay is not just a matter of equal rights, but basic economic survival. Most families rely on the earnings of women to make ends meet. Further, the problem of unequal play plagues women throughout their lives: they have less income to pay for living expenses, child rearing, as well as retirement and Social Security benefits.
“Unmarried women are hit particularly hard by the wage gap: nearly a quarter of America’s children are being raised by single mothers. These children and households must rely on this single source of income, yet unmarried women make 56 cents to the married man’s dollar and 88 cents to the unmarried man’s dollar.
“The Paycheck Fairness Act is needed to strengthen the economic security of women by fortifying current legal protections against wage discrimination. It would limit the justifications for differences in pay, allow employees to discuss earnings so women are able to learn of discrimination and, where discrimination is found, women would be be able to recover not only back wages but damages.
“The House passed the Act nearly two years ago, and it is long since time the Senate sent this vital legislation to the president’s desk. Making sure that hardworking Americans earn what they deserve so they can support their families is critical not only to fairness, but our long-term economic security.”