Equal Pay Day, recognized this year on April 14, marks the day when women’s earnings from January 2014 finally equaled what men earned in calendar year 2014 alone. To highlight this critical disparity, Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-22), Vice Chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, introduced the Equal Pay Day Resolution and called on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the wage gap. Click here to watch Rep. Frankel’s remarks on the House floor calling for paycheck fairness on Equal Pay Day.

“In our great nation of opportunity, no woman should be making less than her male colleague for doing similar work. Yet American women still earn on average 78 cents for each dollar earned by a man doing a comparable job. Discrimination hurts the heart as well as the pocketbook,” said Frankel. “Equal pay isn’t just about fairness, it’s about survival for women and their families.  Congress should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act now and give victims of gender bias the tools they need to seek justice.”

“Republicans and Democrats must join together to ensure that every hard-working American can earn a living and fair wage, regardless of gender. That is why I urge my colleagues in Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which will ensure equal pay for equal work. Wage equity is essential to strengthening our middle class and building a lasting economic recovery that benefits all Americans,” said Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

“When women make an average of only 78 cents for every dollar earned by their male colleagues it threatens women and families’ financial stability. With women bringing home an increasingly bigger share of family income, smaller paychecks hurt their spouses and children, as well as the entire economy. That is why Congress needs to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), who joined Frankel in introducing the Equal Pay Day Resolution and is the author of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, which Frankel cosponsored, would prohibit companies from retaliating against workers who discuss salary information. The law would also require employers to prove any pay discrepancies among workers are unrelated to gender, as well as both necessary for the business and tied to job performance.

By the Numbers:

Nationally, women still earn on average only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. For a woman working full time, the current wage gap represents a loss of $430,000 over the course of her career.  As women transition into retirement, the pay gap continues to negatively impact their economic security.  In 2011, due in part to lower lifetime earnings, women retirees received a monthly Social Security benefit that averaged $300 less than their male colleagues, enough to cover a typical American household’s monthly groceries.

As of October 2014, if the wage gap were eliminated a working woman in Florida would have enough money for approximately:

• 56 more weeks of food for her family
• Five more months of mortgage and utilities payments
• Seven more months of rent
• Over 1,900 additional gallons of gas

###