Maria Cantwell: “I am surprised that my colleagues say this is all about publicity. How can it be about publicity when, in reality, women…”

“I am surprised that my colleagues say this is all about publicity. How can it be about publicity when, in reality, women make less than men in their everyday jobs? Last week in Pittsburg I attended an equal pay forum and found young children carrying handmade signs about justice: Gussie, a young girl, said, ``I will work for justice;'' Sofia, another young girl, said, ``I will work for justice;'' Leo, who wanted to join in with these young ladies, said, ``I will work for change and for justice.'' The children planned to walk around and collect 23 cents on street corners, begging for an amount of change that represents the difference between what men and women get paid. This young generation of Americans wants to know that they are going to grow up in a world where they are going to get equal pay for equal work. Women, on average, make 77 cents per every dollar their male counterparts make and stand to lose $250,000 dollars in income over their lifetime. We are talking about real dollars. The pay gap follows women into retirement. A single woman in retirement, making less pay in her career, could receive $8,000 dollars less in retirement income annually than a man--this is an issue of justice.”