Senator Coons issued the following statement on Tuesday to recognize Equal Pay Day — the day that marks how far into the calendar year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Equal Pay Day was created in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. While much progress has been made for women in the workforce, it’s astonishing and saddening that a significant pay gap between the sexes remains. Women in Delaware are still only paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly gap of $9,911 between men and women who work full time in the state.
“We must continue to fight to for basic fairness in our workforce and across our society. This is why I’m a proud cosponsor of Senator Barbara Mikulski’s Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act by taking meaningful steps to create incentives for employers to follow the law, help women to negotiate for equal pay, and strengthen federal outreach and enforcement effort.
“Equal pay for equal work goes beyond fairness, it’s beneficial to our economy, our families, and our children. Today, I re-pledge myself to fighting to end pay discrimination for Delawareans and all Americans. ”
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