[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING EQUAL PAY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 3, 2001

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, while I am not proud about the gender 
disparity of wages in the United States, I am proud today to join with 
my colleagues as a co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act.
  It is unbelievable that women still earn only a percentage of what 
men earn for comparable work. In the 21st century, women earn 72 cents 
for every dollar a man earns. In communities of color, the gap is 
wider: black women earn 64 cents for each dollar and Latinas earn only 
55 cents for each dollar a man earns.
  According to these numbers, the average woman must work an additional 
12 weeks a year to make up the disparity in income. The pay gap has a 
significant impact on entire families; it is estimated that American 
families lose $200 billion each year. Both the AFL-CIO and the 
Institute for Women's Policy Research report that, if women were paid 
the same as comparable men, their family incomes would rise by nearly 6 
percent. Poverty rates would drop by more than 50 percent.
  Unequal pay is unjustified for equal work. It hurts individuals, 
families, and communities. We must do better to support hard working 
women and their families. We must pass the Paycheck Fairness Act; it is 
the only right and fair thing to do.

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