Statement on the 7th Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Act

"Women make just 78 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts, a figure that has barely budged in more than a decade."

By Democratic Party of Wisconsin - Jan 29th, 2016 01:12 pm

MADISON – Statement of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning on the 7th anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act:

“Seven years ago today, President Barack Obama signed his first piece of legislation into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, empowering women to recover wages lost to pay discrimination.

“The President’s actions were a critical step forward in closing the wage gap, but the fight is far from finished.

“Women make just 78 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts, a figure that has barely budged in more than a decade. When race and gender are considered, African American women make 64 cents, and Latinas only 56 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.

“Women typically lose over $400,000 during a 40-year career due to the wage gap. Here in Wisconsin, we’ve lost out on a critical economic stimulus due to the failure of Republican leaders to address pay equity.

“Democrats in Wisconsin understand that a fair day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay, and believe that women should always be paid the same as men for doing the same work. We will continue to fight to ensure women in our state receive fair pay for the work they do.”