Statement
National Moms’ Group Calls for Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act As Mother’s Equal Pay Day Approaches
May 13, 2016
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
STATEMENT OF KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER, CEO and Executive Director, MomsRising, On the Mother’s Equal Pay Day
“Last Sunday was Mother’s Day, when we celebrate all the things moms do for us every day. This coming Monday is another kind of Mother’s Day. It’s Mother’s Equal Pay Day – the date to which a mother typically has to work to make as much as a father made the previous calendar year.
“Most people are aware that there is a wage gap for women, but many don’t know that moms are a subject to an even larger gap, earning only 73 cents for every dollar paid to fathers. The numbers for moms of color are even more dire. Maternal status is a now greater predictor of wage inequality than gender.
“In fact, a new study from the National Women’s Law Center reveals that, on average, African American mothers make 53 cents and Latina mothers 47 cents compared to white, non-Hispanic fathers.
“In addition to this being just plain wrong, it’s harming our nation’s families and economy. Women are half of the paid labor force, and that includes three-quarters of moms. Today, many households are headed by single moms and in many other households, both parents’ incomes are needed to keep the family afloat. This is impacting the majority of women because over 80% of women have children at some point in their life in our nation.
“When moms suffer wage discrimination, their families suffer, too. And so does our economy. Moms are the primary consumers for their families and when they can’t afford to buy the products and services their families need, local economies suffer.
“For these, and many other reasons, our nation and our nation’s families need the Paycheck Fairness Act now. It would help bring our workplaces into the 21st Century, penalizing employers for equal pay violations, prohibiting retaliation against employees who ask about wage practices, and empowering women to negotiate for equal pay and strengthening equal pay laws.
“Of course, no one piece of legislation can close the wage gap. That’s why MomsRising supports a broad range of policies to address it. They include paycheck and workplace fairness, living wages, paid family leave, affordable, high-quality early learning and childcare opportunities, and earned sick days. All of these policies are proven to help with closing the wage gap and boosting the national economy.
“It’s long past time to right the wrong of wage discrimination. Not just because it is not only callous, not only devalues the important contributions of women and mothers in workplaces, but also negatively affects our overall economy. As a nation, it’s time we do better.”