Patrick Leahy: “I am privileged to join with my colleague Senator Tom Daschle to introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act. Early in the next…”

“I am privileged to join with my colleague Senator Tom Daschle to introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act. Early in the next century, women--for the first time ever--will outnumber men in the United States workplace. In 1965, women held 35 percent of all jobs. That has grown to more than 46 percent today. And in a few years, women will make up a majority of the workforce. Fortunately, there are more business and career opportunities for women today than there were thirty years ago. Unlike 1965, federal, state, and private sector programs now offer women many opportunities to choose their own futures. Working women also have opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills to achieve their own economic security. But despite these gains, working women still face a unique challenge--achieving pay equity. The average woman earns 74 cents for every dollar that the average man earns. This amounts to a woman earning $8,434 less than a man over the course of one year and earning more than a quarter of a million dollars less over the course of a career. We must correct this gross inequality, and we must correct it now. How is this possible with our federal laws prohibiting discrimination? It is possible because we in Congress have failed to protect one of the most fundamental human rights--the right to be paid fairly for an honest day's work.”