NOW Applauds President Obama’s Executive Orders on Equal Pay Day

WASHINGTON – Today marks Equal Pay Day – a stark reminder that women still make less than their male counterparts in the workplace. On average, what a man earns in 12 months will take a woman a little over 15 months to make. Though we still have a great deal of progress to go, we applaud President Obama for signing two new executive orders to help women receive equal pay.

These orders, along with the Paycheck Fairness Act, will help erase Equal Pay Day from the calendar. The Paycheck Fairness Act helps women fight the wage gap by requiring greater transparency from employers – who would have to show that wage differences are job-related and not gender-based – and protects employees from retaliation when they share information about compensation. NOW urges the Senate to pass this bill immediately. If equal pay for women were instituted immediately, across the board, it would result in an annual $447.6 billion gain nationally for women and their families. Over fifteen years, a typical woman loses $499,101 because she is paid less than a man. It’s unacceptable.

NOW applauds the executive orders President Obama is signing today, and what it represents — a step towards equality for women. It’s about recognizing women’s work as equal to their male peers – and above all else, fairness.

Contact: Jihane Bergaoui, planner@now.org, 202-628-8669 ext. 115