[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 42 (Tuesday, April 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E544-E545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     EQUAL PAY DAY--APRIL 16, 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 16, 2002

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I don't need to tell you how far women have 
come in the workplace. Women now make up roughly half of all workers. 
They're breaking into traditionally male fields, from medicine to law 
enforcement. Women are attending professional and graduate schools at 
ever increasing rates. Yet, one thing holds women back--unequal pay.
  Despite the fact that women's earnings have been growing faster than 
men's since 1975, women still make only 74 cents for every dollar men 
earn. More women than ever are participating in the workforce, yet 
minority women earn only 64% of what men earn. Despite all of these 
accomplishments, studies show that the pay gap in management positions 
is actually increasing. It is long past time to stop this wage 
discrimination.
  Unequal pay hurts not just women, but entire families. Tragically, 
single mothers and their families have a poverty rate of roughly 28%. 
The number is as high as 40% for African-American single mothers and 
their families. We cannot sit idly by while families such as these fall 
deeper and deeper into poverty. These women and children all deserve an 
equal chance to be financially secure.
  Income lost to the pay gap represents lost opportunities for these 
families. If women in my home state of Michigan earned as much as men, 
each family would see an income increase of $5000 per year--income that 
could

[[Page E545]]

offset some of the costs of child care, provide after-school music or 
athletic lessons, and could be put away to provide for education.
  Pay Equity is something we need to work on everyday, not just on 
Equal Pay Day. We need to enact the Paycheck Fairness Act to provide 
solutions for women who are not earning equal wages for equal work. 
It's been 30 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, yet working 
women still suffer. I am committed to continuing the fight for equal 
pay until the gap no longer exists. This is an issue of equality, 
economic security and civil rights. We cannot rest until women are 
being paid what they deserve.

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