[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 70 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 70

 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding equal pay for equal work.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 10, 1997

 Mr. Daschle (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Reid of Nevada, 
Mr. Harkin, Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Moseley-Braun, 
 Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Kerry of Massachusetts) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Labor and Human 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding equal pay for equal work.

Whereas, in recent years, the participation of women in the workforce has 
        increased dramatically, with women now making up almost half of the 
        workforce;
Whereas families in which both parents must work are the norm;
Whereas in 1995, 72 percent of all 2-parent families with children, or 
        18,000,000 such families, were supported by a working mother and father;
Whereas many families depend on the pay of working women;
Whereas some families depend wholly on women's pay, with 22 percent of all 
        families with children, or 7,600,000 such families, being headed by 
        single mothers;
Whereas the inability to earn adequate pay is a burden for an entire family and 
        sometimes forces women onto public assistance to provide for their 
        families;
Whereas unfair pay disparities lead to inadequate savings for retirement and 
        lower pensions for women;
Whereas on average, during the period between 1955 and 1981, a woman earned only 
        60 cents for each dollar earned by a man;
Whereas on average a woman earned 63.9 cents for each dollar earned by a man in 
        1955, a figure that improved only to 71.4 cents for each such dollar in 
        1997, with a woman of color earning even less;
Whereas this improvement equals an average annual increase of only 0.28 percent 
        from 1955 to 1997;
Whereas much of this improvement has resulted from a decline in men's real pay 
        and, if men's real pay had not declined, there would have been a much 
        smaller increase in women's pay relative to men's pay;
Whereas working women have benefited the United States economy enormously;
Whereas the provision of equal pay helps business by improving productivity and 
        reducing employee turnover;
Whereas the pay disparities cost the economy $130,000,000,000 in lost purchasing 
        power per year;
Whereas ensuring equal pay is a high priority for working women and their 
        families;
Whereas it took a woman, on average, from January 1, 1996, to April 11, 1997, to 
        receive as much pay as a man received in 1996 alone; and
Whereas April 11 is being recognized as National Pay Inequity Awareness Day: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) women have made great contributions to the United 
        States workforce and the United States economy and should be 
        paid fairly and have the same access to education and training 
        as men;
            (2) all employers, in the public and private sectors, 
        should comply with Federal and State law requiring equal pay 
        for equal work;
            (3) many employers have made serious efforts to provide 
        equal pay and should be commended for those efforts; and
            (4) all employers should address unequal pay in their 
        workplaces and ensure that working families can prosper.
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