15 Weeks Later Women’s Pay Equals Men’s of 2012

MD Congressman Hoyer and MD Senator Mikulski are among the witnesses with Lilly Ledbetter as President Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law.

Today, our community and communities across the country come together to mark Equal Pay Day, which signifies the point into the year that a woman must work to earn what a man made last year.

As we continue to fight for equal pay, I encourage you to visit my Facebook page to share how pay discrimination impacts our community. I also encourage you to connect with me on Twitter.

It is unacceptable that women, who are working just as hard to support themselves and their families, continue to earn around 77 cents on the dollar compared to men – a pay gap of 23 percent. While we are closer to closing the pay gap in Maryland’s Fifth District, with women making around 90 cents on the dollar compared to men, it is disappointing that this inequity is still present in our society and we must do more to ensure equal pay for equal work.

I’m proud that during the Democratic-led Congress, we passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to protect workers against pay discrimination and help close the gender gap in wages. It was the first piece of legislation President Obama signed into law when he took office. I’m hopeful that we can build on that progress by enacting the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that would provide better legal remedies for people who have experienced pay discrimination, which I have co-sponsored again this Congress because women and families in Maryland deserve equal compensation.

As a father of three daughters, I will continue to fight for pay equity regardless of gender, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to end this unjust reality for women and families in Maryland and throughout the nation. I hope to receive input from you on this important matter.