Bennet Marks Equal Pay Day, Calls for Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act

Equal Pay Day Marks How Far Into a Year a Woman Must Work, On Average, to Earn as Much as a Man Earned the Previous Year

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today marked Equal Pay Day by calling on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the pay gap between women and men working the same jobs. Equal Pay Day represents how far into this year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned in 2015. According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), in 2014, women working full time throughout the year were paid only 79 percent of men's earnings.

"Everyone, regardless of their gender, deserves to earn equal pay for equal work," Bennet said. "We've taken a lot of important steps toward full gender equality in recent years, but Equal Pay Day continues to remind us that we still have work to do. As a husband and father of three girls, I want them to be fairly recognized for the work that they do. The Paycheck Fairness Act will help ensure that women and men are all being fairly compensated for their hard work. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it would be good for our economy. As more Colorado families depend on two incomes, the idea that women are making less for the same work is unacceptable. Congress should pass this bill to ensure our laws reflect our ideals."

Bennet is a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would protect employees from retaliation for making inquiries or disclosures concerning employee wages. The bill would also seek to enhance data collection, research, and training with regard to pay discrimination. A small minority of senators have blocked earlier versions of the bill in previous sessions of Congress.