[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5807]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             EQUAL PAY DAY

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2011

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, as we argue the merits of various budget 
proposals, we must not forget that the wallets and savings accounts of 
our mothers, sisters, and daughters are not as heavy as they should be. 
Today, on Equal Pay Day, we recognize the discrimination women continue 
to experience each time they receive a paycheck.
  Women earn roughly 77 cents to every dollar a man earns. This 
translates to almost an $11,000 reduction in annual female median 
earnings. Over her lifetime, a woman will see a reduction in her 
savings for retirement, including Social Security and pension plans, 
and in her ability to save for lifetime goals such as buying a home and 
paying for a college education.
  In the 111th Congress, I was the first female Chair of the Joint 
Economic Committee, and as such I made a commitment to look at women's 
current role in the economy through numerous reports and hearings. As a 
capstone, in December 2010, the Committee issued a comprehensive report 
compiling research done by the Committee, testimony from several 
hearings, and GAO reports assessing the detrimental gender wage gap for 
part-time workers and older Americans as well as wider discussions of 
women's continued under-representation in management level positions 
and the positive impact of health care reform and financial reform on 
women and their families. As I said in that report, ``The decisions we 
make today will have dramatic impacts on our nation's future economic 
well-being, and we must carefully consider what those decisions will 
mean for women, both as consumers and as producers.''
  Regardless of demographics, industries, occupations or education, 
gender wage discrimination touches nearly every family. When you 
discriminate against a woman, you discriminate against her husband, her 
children, her entire family. In these economically difficult times, 
more than ever women find themselves to be the sole or primary 
household breadwinner, which means the wage gap undermines the economic 
security of our nation's families.
  The persistence and stagnation of the gender wage gap is inexcusable. 
That is why I am proud to support the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill 
that provides women with the tools to fight wage discrimination and 
improve the economic security of working families. I urge my colleagues 
to stand up for the basic rights and fairness of 51% of the U.S. 
population.

                          ____________________