Congresswoman Matsui Recognizes the 50th Anniversary of Equal Pay Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 9, 2013

CONTACT: JONELLE TRIMMER
(202) 225-7163

Congresswoman Matsui Recognizes the 50th Anniversary of Equal Pay Day

Reaffirms commitment to the fight against gender-based pay discrimination

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06), vice-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, issued the following statement recognizing the 50th anniversary of Equal Pay Day:

"In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, signaling our nation's commitment to equal pay for women in every workplace. Now, fifty years later, Equal Pay Day serves not only as a reminder of how far we have come, but of how much work is left to be done in the struggle for equal pay between women and men.

"According to a recent report by the National Partnership for Women andamp; Families, women in the Sacramento region are paid 84 cents for every dollar paid to men in the area. This is unacceptable. When women are paid equal pay for equal work our economy as a whole benefits. That is why I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act. This critical legislation would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and help women fight wage discrimination wherever it occurs."

Equal Pay Day is a day which highlights the ongoing disparity of pay for female employees across the country. It symbolizes when, more than three months into the year, women's wages finally catch up to what men were paid in the previous year.

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