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Statement

Congress: Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to Help Close Our Nation’s Punishing Wage Gap

March 9, 2023
Workplace Justice, Equal Pay

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the introduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2023 in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate today:

“Our nation’s families and economy continue to suffer because of persistent wage discrimination, with moms and women of color facing the widest wage gaps and the most devastating harm. Congress must take action, and passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act would be an essential step toward protecting women from losing much-needed income to wage discrimination. Its speedy passage should be a top priority for every lawmaker.

“It is unacceptable that in the United States today, for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, Native women and Latinas are paid just 57 cents, Black women just 67 cents, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women just 92 cents, with many subgroups paid much less. Moms are paid just 74 cents on the dollar compared to dads, and women overall are paid just 84 cents on the dollar compared to men. All that must change.

“The wage gap persists, year after year, because of structural racism and sexism, along with maternal discrimination. Passing the Paycheck Fairness Act would be a major boost for families, for our economy, and for gender and racial equality.”

-Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“Without adequate protections, many women are afraid to speak up about the discrimination they face because they fear retaliation. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a common-sense, badly needed bill that would provide essential protections against retaliation, promote pay transparency, strengthen penalties for wage discrimination, and more. It would make it easier for workers to fight collectively for pay parity and help move us toward a future where no one is shortchanged on her paycheck due to her gender or race.

“Congress must act to make our economy more fair and successful by turning this bill into law. It’s long past time we close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act, which will turn 60 this June. Wage discrimination causes real and devastating harm for families, making it harder for them to afford the rising cost of food, health care, child care, housing and more. We need Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act now.”

-Statement of Taylor Austin, Campaign Manager, Workplace Justice, MomsRising

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.