Fletcher remembers anniversary of Equal Pay Act: 'This is a fairness issue'

Fifty-eight years ago, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act which safeguarded fair pay for men and women in the workplace, which was at its time a monumental move toward women’s equality. 

In 2021, there is still a wage gap, and while that gap is less than it was prior to Kennedy’s act, it is inexcusable. 

"Today, we recognize 58 years since the #EqualPay Act was signed into law. As we celebrate this milestone, we recognize that the wage gap remains. This is a fairness issue. This is a family issue. And it's time for the Senate to pass the #PaycheckFairnessAct, not block it,” U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston tweeted. 

The Paycheck Fairness Act builds upon the Equal Pay Act by ensuring that women are being paid fairly for the work that they complete. 

“In 2019, women working full time and year-round in the United States typically were paid just 82% of what men were paid,” the Daily Independent reported.

It is a fact that employers in female-dominated roles earn less than those in male-dominated fields, despite the reality that the jobs require the identical level of education, skill and formal training. 

“In 1963, the average American working woman earned 62.3% of the comparable earnings of a man doing the same job. The Equal Pay Act was part of Kennedy’s plan to end gender discrimination in the U.S. economy,” Benzinga reported.

The Equal Pay Act made it illegal for companies to underpay women for work versus men based on the matter of their sex. 

The act stated that the job did not need to be identical in order to merit the same pay but it must be equal in substance. 

The Paycheck Fairness Act has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives but it is currently awaiting passage in the upper chamber.