To date, women are still not being paid fairly.  According to a Pew Research Center analysis, women, in general, were paid 84 cents for every one dollar a man made in 2020.  If you break those numbers down even further by ethnicity, black women are paid an average 63 cents, Latina women are paid 54 cents, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid around 85  cents for every dollar a man makes.

The Paycheck Fairness Act could help close that gap if it is passed. It was introduced to Congress for the first time in 1997 and 12 more times with the last time in 2021.  It was passed in the House in 2007, 2009, 2019, and 2021.  However, the Senate has shut it down every time.  One of their arguments is that passing this bill be open employers up to frivolous lawsuits. Those who oppose also state that this bill will take away employers' power to make their salary decisions based on other relevant factors.

The Paycheck Fairness Act will reinforce the Equal Pay Act by prohibiting employers from asking applicants to disclose the past salary history. This is crucial because if women have historically been underpaid they will continue to underpaid if employers offer them a salary that lines up with what they have been paid in the past.  Therefore, the cycle of unfair and unequal pay for women will continue.

Also, this act will prevent employers from retaliating against or reprimanding employees for discussing their salary with others and for raising concerns about pay disparities in their workplace. Have you ever wondered why some companies have policies against discussing salary? Likely to prevent the discovery of the unequal pay.

The Paycheck Fairness Act bill needs to be passed to close the pay gap and increase the livelihood of women and families.  Women make up 47% of the workforce. According to the 2021 U.S. Census Bureau, 80% of single-parent families are headed by women. The 16 - 18 cent difference has a huge impact on their abilities to provide for their household. This gap cause thousands of dollars in lost wages for women.

It is imperative the the Senate get on board and do their part in helping close the wage gap between men and women. If you agree, please sign this petition AND contact your local state representatives to express your interest in seeing this bill passed.

Let's try to get a minimum of 1,800 signatures.  This number is significant to the average 18 cents difference in pay between men and women.

Please share with with all of your friends, family and social media networks and encourage them to sign as well.  We need to send a message that we are demanding more to be done to make women whole by paying them fairly for doing equal work with the same skills, experience, and qualifications. I encourage women and men to support this initiative.

It's time she gets paid what she is really worth!

Every working woman in America will be grateful for your signature!