[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 19 (Monday, May 15, 2000)]
[Pages 1071-1072]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7306--National Equal Pay Day, 2000

May 11, 2000

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Long before President Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 
1963, women had proved their ability to contribute to America's labor 
market. During World War II, when labor shortages offered women an 
unprecedented opportunity to work outside the home, women excelled at 
jobs traditionally reserved for men. Yet, despite their enormous 
contribution to maintaining American production lines, women in the 
workforce were paid less than their male counterparts.

    For most of our Nation's history, in fact, women have served within 
a sharply segregated workforce, enjoying fewer educational and training 
opportunities than men and struggling all too often to disprove 
confining stereotypes about their roles and capabilities. But throughout 
the decades, women of courage, energy, and determination have continued 
to enter the workforce and open doors of opportunity for succeeding 
generations. Today, more women are in the labor force than ever before; 
the female unemployment rate is at its lowest in more than 40 years; the 
poverty rate for households headed by women is the lowest ever recorded; 
and the pay gap has narrowed substantially since 1963.

    Despite these gains, the battle for equal pay for women is far from 
over. Although 37 years have passed since the passage of the Equal Pay 
Act, the average woman today must still work an additional 17 weeks a 
year to earn what the average man earns. That pay gap grows wider as 
women grow older, and it is widest for women of color. African American 
women earn 64 cents for every dollar earned by white men, and Hispanic 
women earn just 55 cents. While some of

[[Page 1072]]

these disparities can be attributed to differences in education, 
experience, and occupation--which themselves often reflect troubling 
inequities--several studies confirm that a significant pay gap persists 
even after we account for these factors.
    My Administration has worked hard to ensure that every American is 
treated with fairness and dignity in the workplace, and this year I 
proposed a $27 million equal pay initiative in my fiscal year 2001 
budget to combat unfair pay practices against women. This initiative 
includes $10 million in funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission (EEOC) to identify more quickly and respond more effectively 
to wage discrimination. The initiative would also enable the EEOC to 
launch a public service campaign to educate employees and employers 
about their rights and responsibilities under equal pay laws. In 
addition, the initiative includes funding for the Department of Labor to 
train women for jobs they have not traditionally held, such as those in 
the high-paying technology sector, and to help employers recruit and 
train qualified women for nontraditional occupations.
    I have also urged the Congress to strengthen existing wage 
discrimination laws by promptly passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. This 
proposed legislation would provide increased penalties for equal pay 
violations; prohibit employers from punishing employees who share salary 
information with coworkers; and provide funding for research on wage 
discrimination and for increased training for EEOC employees who work on 
wage discrimination cases.
    Throughout the decades, working women have persevered in their 
struggle for equal pay, buoyed by an unshakable faith in their own 
skills and self-worth and a firm commitment to the ideals of our 
democracy. On National Equal Pay Day, I urge all Americans to join the 
crusade to secure equal pay for women and to create a just and honorable 
work environment in which all our citizens are rewarded fairly for their 
talents, experience, and contributions.
     Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton,  President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby 
proclaim May 11, 2000, as National Equal Pay Day. I call upon government 
officials, law enforcement agencies, business leaders, educators, and 
the American people to recognize the full value of the skills and 
contributions of women in the labor force. I urge all employers to 
review their wage practices and ensure that all their employees are paid 
equitably for their work.
     In Witness Whereof,  I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day 
of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of 
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 12, 
2000]

 Note:  This proclamation was published in the  Federal Register  on May 
15.