Press Releases

Springfield, MA – As we mark Equal Pay Day on March 24, Congressman Richard E. Neal said that more needs to be done to close the wage gap that still exists between men and women – including passage of the critical Paycheck Fairness Act.  Each year, Equal Pay Day symbolizes when, almost three months into the year, women’s wages finally catch up to what men were paid in the previous year.

“Equal pay is not simply a women’s issue; it’s a family issue,” Congressman Neal stated.  “When women bring home less money each day, it means they have less for the everyday needs of their families – groceries, rent, child care, and doctors’ visits.  Two-thirds of mothers are either the primary breadwinner of a co-breadwinner in the household, so their earnings are vital to their families.”

Fifty-eight years after the 1963 Equal Pay Act was enacted, the latest data show that nationwide full-time working women still earn only 82 cents, on average, for every dollar a man earns, amounting to a yearly gender gap of $10,157 between full-time working men and women.  Furthermore, the wage gap is even larger for women of color – with, on average, Black women earning just 63 cents, Native American women just 60 cents and Latinas just 55 cents for every collar a white, non-Hispanic man earns.

“The 1963 Equal Pay Act has had too many loopholes and has not been effective in ensuring equal pay,” said Congressman Neal.  “That is why I strongly support the important Paycheck Fairness Act, which House Democrats are moving forward in committee today.  This bill modernizes and strengthens the Equal Pay Act.  It bans retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose their wages, provides effective remedies for women who are not being paid equal pay for equal work, and requires employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons.”

“It is simply wrong that in the 21st century, women still face pay discrimination,” Neal concluded. “That is why I hope that the House will soon be once again passing the Paycheck Fairness Act and sending it to the Senate for action.  This legislation would bring the country one step closer to finally ensuring that women receive equal pay for equal work.”

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