March 29, 2024

Hoyer Marks Equal Pay Day

Equal Pay Day

Each year, the United States marks the day it takes a woman, on average, to earn the same amount as a man who has been doing the same work if both had started on the first day of January. Congressman Steny H. Hoyer released a statement to acknowledge Equal Pay Day, which fell on March 31 this year.

“Each year, on Equal Pay Day, we count the number of extra weeks from the start of the new year that women have to work, on average, to earn the same pay as men in the previous year for the same work. This pay gap is even more pronounced for women of color. With more women becoming the primary breadwinners in American families every year, this unfair loss in women’s incomes shortchanges families across our country,” Congressman Hoyer (D-MD) said. “At a time of challenge when we are working hard in the near-term to protect incomes for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, it is critical that we not forget the long-term economic challenges we face, and one of the highest priorities must continue to be securing equal pay for equal work.”

In 2009, Congressman Hoyer brought the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to the House floor as majority leader. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act overturned the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Inc.,  which severely restricted the time period for filing complaints of employment discrimination concerning compensation.

Mr. Hoyer said he was proud to bring the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to the floor in 2009 and to build upon that effort by bringing the Paycheck Fairness Act to the floor in 2019. That bill has stalled in the Senate.

“House Democrats will continue to fight for equal pay for women and greater economic opportunity for working families – not just on Equal Pay Day but every day,” the congressman said.

Follow Congressman Hoyer on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, visit his Leader member page.

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