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Why Do Women Make Less Than Men?

May 9, 2011 11:15 a.m.

California working women make on average $8,300 less per year than men. This costs California women about $37 billion annually. The Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963 to prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers. In passing the bill, Congress denounced sexual discrimination in the workplace. It has been 48 years since the law was enacted.

Many women are supporting a new equal pay act called the Paycheck Fairness Act, which passed in the U.S. House but fell short in the Senate. This would close loopholes in the old act to ensure that women aren't underpaid. We are going to discuss the current equal pay rules as well as the struggle women are facing, and the ways that women are trying to gain equality.

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