Equal Pay Day Underscores Just How Unequal Women’s Wages Are
“Equal pay is by no means just a woman’s issue—it’s a family
issue…And in this economy, when so many folks are already
working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing
they can afford is losing part of each month’s paycheck to
simple and plain discrimination.” President Barack Obama, 2009.
April 20th is “Equal Pay Day,” the day when the average female
worker’s wages will finally catch up to her male counterpart’s
salary from the prior year.  The fact that the wage gap declined
by only 18 cents over the past three decades is, according to
the National Women’s Law Center evidence of “the lack of women-
friendly and family-friendly economic policies in the United
States.”   According to NWLC:  On average, women who work full
time make 77 cents for every dollar a male earns, and the
disparity is even greater for women of color.  This wage gap
exists in every state and persists even after factors such as
educational level and occupation