[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 5 (Monday, February 8, 1999)]
[Pages 157-158]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

January 30, 1999

    Good morning. Americans have always believed that people who work 
hard should be able to provide for themselves and their families. That's 
a fundamental part of America's basic bargain. Today I want to talk to 
you about what we're doing to make sure that bargain works for all our 
people, by ensuring that women and men earn equal pay for equal work.
    We're living in a time of remarkable promise, with the strongest 
economy in a generation: nearly 18 million new jobs; the lowest 
unemployment in 29 years; family incomes rising by $3,500, the greatest 
real wage growth in over two decades. We have an opportunity now, and an 
obligation, to make sure every American fairly benefits from this moment 
of prosperity.
    One of the best ways to meet this challenge is to put an end to wage 
discrimination. When President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act 35 years 
ago, women were joining the work force in ever-increasing numbers, but 
their work was undervalued. At that time, for every dollar a man brought 
home in his paycheck, a woman doing the same work earned only 58 cents.
    We've made a lot of progress since those days. Last June my Council 
of Economic Advisors reported that the gender gap has narrowed 
considerably. In fact, it's been cut nearly in half. Today, women earn 
about 75 cents for every dollar a man earns. Now, we can be proud of 
this progress, but 75 cents on the dollar is still only three-quarters 
of the way there, and Americans can't be satisfied until we're all the 
way there.
    One big reason why the pay gap persists, despite women's gains in 
education and experience, is the demeaning practice of wage 
discrimination in our workplaces. Too many employers still undervalue 
and underpay work done by women. And make no mistake, when a woman is 
denied equal pay, it doesn't just hurt her; it hurts her family, and 
that hurts America.
    Between 1995 and 1996 alone, the number of families with 2 working 
parents increased by nearly 2 million. And in over 10 million families, 
the mother is the only breadwinner.
    Now just think what a 25-percent wage gap means in real terms over 
the course of a working year. How many bags of groceries, or visits to 
the doctor? How many mortgage or rent or car payments? And over the 
course of a working life, it can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars: 
smaller pensions, less to put aside for retirement.
    To prepare our Nation for the 21st century, we must do more to 
ensure equal pay, equal opportunity, and equal dignity for working 
women. Today I'm pleased to announce a new $14 million equal pay 
initiative, included in my balanced budget, to help the Department of 
Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission expand 
opportunities in the workplace for women and end wage discrimination 
once and for all. With more resources to identify wage discrimination, 
to educate employers and workers about their rights and 
responsibilities, and to bring more women into better-paying

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jobs, we'll be closer than ever to making equal pay a reality for all 
Americans.
    In my State of the Union Address, when I called on Congress to 
ensure equal pay for equal work, it brought Members of both parties to 
their feet in a strong show of support. Equal pay is not a partisan 
issue. It's a matter of principle, a question of what kind of country we 
want America to be today, and into the 21st century, when our daughters 
grow up and enter the workplace.
    There's been strong leadership on fair pay from Members in both 
Houses of Congress, including Senator Tom Harkin and Representative 
Eleanor Holmes Norton. Today I ask Congress, as one of its first orders 
of business, to pass the ``Paycheck Fairness Act,'' sponsored by Senator 
Tom Daschle and Representative Rosa DeLauro. It strengthens enforcement 
of our equal pay laws, expands opportunities for women, and helps 
working families to thrive.
    If we meet this challenge--if we value the contributions of all our 
workers--we will be a more productive, more prosperous, more proud, and 
a more just nation in the 21st century.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 1:22 p.m. on January 29 in the 
Roosevelt Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 
30. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on January 29 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast.