WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of tomorrow’s Equal Pay Day, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today called for passage of legislation that would close loopholes that allow pay discrimination based on gender. In Ohio, women are paid only 82.7 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Nationwide, women earn 22 percent less than men.
“Pay discrimination based on gender hurts our economy by robbing women of hard-earned wages that they could otherwise use to start businesses, send their kids to college, or build up their retirement savings,” said Brown. “Women should earn equal pay for equal work – but nationwide women earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. We must address this wage gap. That’s why Congress should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to make sure equal work means equal pay.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, Ohio women who worked full-time earned just 82.7 percent of what male employees earned. Women had median weekly earnings of $680, compared to $822 for men.
To address this gap, Sen. Brown supports the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and help women fight wage discrimination by:
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