Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

April 10 is Equal Pay Day—marking the number of extra days into 2018 the average woman has to work to earn as much as her male counterpart did in 2017.

No one who cares about economic justice and the rights of women is celebrating this occasion. Although Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act in 1963, the gender pay gap is still pervasive.

On average, women are paid just 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. For women of color, the gap is even wider. According to Pew Research, African American women on average earn only 66 cents and Latinas on average earn only 60 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men.

When the Equal Pay Act was passed, full-time working women were paid 59 cents on average for every dollar paid to men. This means that it took 55 years for the wage gap to close just 21 cents—a rate of less than half a penny a year. The narrowing of the gap has slowed substantially in recent years—in fact, at the current pace the wage gap won’t be closed until the year 2058.

That’s too long to wait. We need to erase Equal Pay Day from the calendar. Raising the minimum wage is a good first step. The minimum wage is a women’s issue—nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women.

Data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research show that the U.S. economy would grow by more than $512 billion if women received equal pay.

NOW is calling on Congress to pass the federal Paycheck Fairness Act, and for localities and states to pass their own bills to close the gender wage gap. The EEOC must also reinstate the requirement that certain employers submit pay data and hours worked.

Let’s put an end to no one’s favorite holiday. Equal Pay Day is a reminder of how far we still have to go to achieve real equality.

Contact

Dee Donavanik, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

Fifty years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his legacy endures in the daily work of countless movements, organizations and organized protests. We in the women’s movement, like so many others, draw inspiration from Dr. King’s example of peaceful protest, passionate advocacy and positive solutions.

When Dr. King marched with workers, he marched with women who were being paid horrifically low wages. When Dr. King spoke out against oppression, he was heard by women who were denied equality.

And when we in the women’s movement have marched on Washington, we march alongside Dr. King.

We honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and rededicate ourselves to the cause of equality and justice he so revered.

Contact

Dee Donavanik, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

When the House voted on the recent omnibus spending bill, lawmakers included language to support survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination. But when it got to the House, Mitch McConnell said, “never mind,” and removed provisions that would have finally brought accountability and transparency to Congress’ sexual harassment reporting process.

As Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, “It begs the question: Who are they trying to protect?”

We know who. Every woman knows who. We know how men who harass women are protected and the sexual harassers are enabled. The indifference of Senator McConnell echoes the mistreatment and neglect of hundreds of women who have been abused in spaces of power.

“Sexual coercion knows no party lines,” states Toni Van Pelt, President of the National Organization for Women, “in order to end sexual harassment and assault in all workplaces, we must begin with our leaders. It is time for our representatives on the hill to be a part of solution instead of perpetuating the problem.”

It’s time for a change. NOW supports the initiative taken by all 22 female Senators, Republicans and Democrats alike, to amend the 23-year old law that governs employment complaints in Congress. The current Congressional Accountability Act places an unfair burden on survivors requiring that they undergo counseling, mediation and a month-long “cooling off” period before filing suit against their harassers. Policies like these protect predators and leave survivors vulnerable to further abuse. The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) reports that 75% of survivors experience retaliation when they report their abuse.

The House of Representatives did the right thing in taking the necessary steps to change the culture of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill. The Senate needs to step up as well. Harassers must be held accountable for their actions, survivors deserve justice, and our nation’s leaders must begin to vote with the moral integrity they claim to hold dear. Enough is Enough.

Contact

Dee Donavanik, press@now.org, 951-547-1241