Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today is Equal Pay Day, and I wish to speak about the importance of ensuring women in this country are paid fairly. April 12--102 days into the year--marks the day that women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous year. That is unacceptable. We can do better. Last week, the national women's soccer team filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint states that women are paid just 40 percent of what men are paid--despite the fact that our women's soccer team has long been one of the best in the world. The team has won four of the last five Olympic Gold Medals and three of the last seven World Cups. Women soccer players are even given smaller per-diems when they travel. Women receive $50 per day while men receive $62.50 per day. This shows the pervasiveness of wage discrimination in this country. The most successful women's soccer team in the world still earns just 40 cents for every dollar earned by men. Next, I would like to turn to my home State. Women in California are paid just 84 cents for every dollar earned by men. While better than the national average of 79 cents, California's wage gap totals nearly $40 billion each year in lost wages. That is $8,053 for every woman who works full time. This gap has a significant effect on the economic security of working families--40 percent of women are the primary or sole breadwinners in their families.…”