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 Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the following statement today, Equal Pay Day, calling for action on the Paycheck Fairness Act. Dingell is an original cosponsor of the legislation to ensure women across the country earn equal pay for equal work.

“Today is a day to highlight the progress we have made as women, but mark how far we still have to go. Women deserve equal pay for equal work. When I interviewed for my first job at General Motors, I was asked why a woman would want to work there. Now a friend and colleague is a female CEO. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made. Yet, in today's world too many women are not paid the equivalent of their male peers.

“The Paycheck Fairness Act closes loopholes that still exist to ensure all Americans are earning equal pay for equal work. This is not just a women’s issue, it’s a family issue. When women bring home less money each day, it means they have less for the everyday needs of their families – groceries, rent, child care and doctors’ visits. When women succeed, America succeeds, and this Equal Pay Day, we are calling on our colleagues to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the pay gap once and for all.

Background

Equal Pay Day symbolizes when, more than three months into the year, women’s wages finally catch up to what men were paid in the previous year. Women in Michigan still only earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. Nationwide, women working full time, year round earn on average 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Women won’t see pay equity with men until 2058 based on the rate that the pay gap has been closing since 1960.