Statement
STATEMENT OF KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER, Executive Director & CEO of MomsRising.org, On Equal Pay Day
April 14, 2015
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
MomsRising Members Urge Paycheck Fairness, Join Senator Barbara Mikulski to Share Personal Stories of Wage Discrimination
“April 14 is Equal Pay Day, which acknowledges that on average, it takes women 15 months to earn what men make in 12, and it takes women of color and mothers even longer. That means it can take women a quarter of a year or longer to catch up to men’s wages, and that’s just shameful.
“Today, two MomsRising members joined Senator Barbara Mikulski on Capitol Hill to share their stories about wage discrimination, including AnnMarie Duchon from Massachusetts, who discussed her seven year struggle with unequal pay.
“Despite working at a progressive public university, AnnMarie was paid less than a co-worker in the same position. When AnnMarie questioned this unfair practice, she was told that because her male coworker accepted a pay cut to take this job, he should be paid more. But AnnMarie too had taken a pay cut, and she too had a family depending on her income. Finally, after seven years of difficult discussions, AnnMarie’s wage was raised to an equal level, but in the meantime the disparity had cost her family more than $12,000 in lost income.
“Sadly, AnnMarie’s story is not unique. Right now, more than 50 years after the Equal Pay Act became law, women still earn, on average, 78 cents to every dollar white men earn. The wage gap for Black and Latina women is even greater - 64 and 56 cents respectively, for every dollar their white male counterparts earn. And moms take an even bigger hit. In fact maternal status is now a greater predictor of wage and hiring discrimination than gender.
“However, there are some employers out there who see both the moral and economic value of paying women what they deserve. MomsRising Member Todd Lamonia runs his own small IT business in Virginia and he makes a commitment to providing equal pay to all employees. In his previous experiences working in the corporate IT world, he saw wage gaps ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. Addressing this inequity in his own business was not only his moral duty, he says, he also realized that pay equity helps employers retain skilled and talented employees for the long-term.
“In addition to helping families and businesses, raising women’s incomes to parity would boost our economy and save taxpayer funds by lowering the need for government programs and by putting money directly into our consumer-fueled economy. It just makes economic sense. Moms and families across the country cannot wait any longer; Congress must act to ensure that women finally receive equal pay for equal work.”