WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, the Paycheck Fairness Act failed to pass in the Senate. Four votes short of passing a procedural obstacle, the Democratic supported act received no Republican votes. This act has been an important focal point as both parties attempt to garner votes for upcoming elections.
The Paycheck Fairness Act is meant to address the pay gap between the average woman's paycheck compared to her male counterparts. The Democratic party has referred to the national survey conducted by the National Partnership for Women and Families, which states, “Overall, women in the United States are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly wage gap of $11,607 between full-time working men and women.”
Democrats have used this data to bolster their fight for women to receive equal pay on a state-wide and national level. Senator Gillibrand held a press conference on Tuesday, which was also Equal Pay Day.
“The fact is, women are increasingly the new family breadwinner. Women are the primary income earner for a growing share of homes across America,” said Gillibrand. “But almost two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women – and even after working full time they are bringing home a paycheck that keeps their family below the poverty level.”
According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Paycheck Fairness Act would ensure that employees could discuss salaries with co-workers without repercussion; require employers to provide more transparency about the reasons for pay disparity and prove it is for valid reasons; and other means for employees to combat pay discrimination.
Republicans argued that the data used to back this argument is skewed and does not reflect the variances amongst job levels, skill sets and other factors that could impact the averages. They also feel that adequate laws are already in place to prevent pay discrimination and, if the bill had passed, there would be a wave of unnecessary lawsuits for companies across the nation. The vote on Wednesday resulted in a great deal of finger pointing and accusations from both sides, without much constructive debate.
