AKA Supports Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act

As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ®, an international service organization with more than 355,000 members founded in 1908, I stand in support of Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act (HR17/S728)

Congress passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, but the wage gap persists in virtually every industry and occupation in this country, regardless of education level or experience. This persistent wage gap has a dire economic impact on women and families. Women working full-time, year-round are typically paid only 84 cents for every dollar paid to men. When we compare the median earnings of all women who worked with the median earnings of all men who worked—regardless of how many hours or weeks they worked—the pay gap is even worse: women are typically paid just 77 cents for every dollar paid to a man.

For women of color, the wage gap is even worse. When looking at the median earnings of workers working full-time, year-round, part-time and part-year, Black women are paid 64 cents for every dollar paid to a white, non-Hispanic man, Latinas are paid 54 cents, and Native women are paid just 51 cents. While Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women make 80 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, women in many AANHPI communities experience drastically wider pay gaps.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to close loopholes and ensure that it provides robust protection against sex-based pay discrimination. The women you represent work hard and deserve fair pay. Their families depend on it. Please support the Paycheck Fairness Act!