[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22171-22172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08848]



[[Page 22169]]

Vol. 81

Thursday,

No. 72

April 14, 2016

Part II





The President





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Proclamation 9422--National Equal Pay Day, 2016
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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 72 / Thursday, April 14, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9422 of April 11, 2016

                
National Equal Pay Day, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation is built on the basic promise of a fair shot 
                for all our people. Women in the United States still do 
                not always receive equal pay for equal work. When women 
                are paid less for doing the same jobs as men, it 
                undermines our most fundamental beliefs as Americans. 
                Every year, we mark how far into the new year women 
                would have to work in order to earn the same as men did 
                in the previous year, and on this day, we reaffirm our 
                commitment to ensuring equal pay for all.

                Although small gains have been made in recent years, 
                the typical woman working full-time, year-round earns 
                only 79 cents for every dollar earned by the typical 
                man, and women of color earn even less relative to the 
                typical white, non-Hispanic man--60 cents on the dollar 
                for the typical black woman and 55 cents on the dollar 
                for the typical Hispanic woman. Women are increasingly 
                the breadwinners of American households, and when they 
                are not paid equally, or are underrepresented in 
                certain higher-paying occupations, their ability to 
                save for retirement is hindered and hardworking 
                families face greater difficulty meeting their basic 
                financial needs. Pay discrimination puts greater strain 
                on families to cover costs like child care or health 
                care, and it holds our economy back from achieving its 
                full potential. We must continue taking action to 
                address issues of equal pay, pay secrecy, pregnancy 
                discrimination, and unconscious bias. The gender pay 
                gap in the United States is among the largest of many 
                industrialized nations, and because women make up 
                nearly half our workforce, this disparity impacts us 
                all. The pay gap between men and women offends our 
                values as Americans, and as long as it exists, our 
                businesses, our communities, and our Nation will suffer 
                the consequences.

                My Administration is dedicated to reaching a day in 
                which all women are paid equally for their work. 
                Earlier this year, the Equal Employment Opportunity 
                Commission, in partnership with the Department of 
                Labor, announced a new proposal to gather pay data by 
                race, ethnicity, and gender from businesses with at 
                least 100 employees. This will help businesses make 
                sure their employees are being treated equally, and it 
                will help us enforce existing equal pay laws. This 
                proposal originated in part with my National Equal Pay 
                Task Force, which has helped coordinate a Federal 
                effort to crack down on violations of equal pay laws. 
                Our Nation has taken significant steps toward achieving 
                pay equity over the last 7 years--from the first piece 
                of legislation I signed as President, the Lilly 
                Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which makes it easier for women 
                to challenge unequal pay, to my Executive Order 
                prohibiting Federal contractors from discriminating 
                against employees who discuss their compensation. But 
                much work remains to be done, which is why I continue 
                to call on the Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness 
                Act--a commonsense measure that would bolster the 
                ability of women to fight pay discrimination.

                When all people know their country is invested in their 
                success, we are all better off. Together, we must rid 
                our society of the injustice that is pay discrimination 
                and restore the promise that is the right of every 
                American: the idea that with hard work, anyone can 
                reach for their dreams

[[Page 22172]]

                and know no limits but the scope of their aspirations. 
                On National Equal Pay Day, we renew our belief in equal 
                pay for equal work, and we rededicate ourselves to 
                building a future in which women are paid based on 
                their merits.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim April 12, 2016, as 
                National Equal Pay Day. I call upon all Americans to 
                recognize the full value of women's skills and their 
                significant contributions to the labor force, 
                acknowledge the injustice of wage inequality, and join 
                efforts to achieve equal pay.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-08848
Filed 4-13-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P