NEXSTAR (WASHINGTON) — Wednesday, March 24, marked “Equal Pay Day” — which is how far into the year women must work on average to make up the pay disparity between what men and women earned the prior year.
President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, hosted a roundtable with soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Margaret Purce.
Earlier in the day, Rapinoe testified before Congress, presenting statistics showing how, on average, women earn about 82 cents for each dollar earned by a man.
“One cannot simply outperform inequality, or be excellent enough to escape discrimination of any kind,” Rapinoe said Wednesday.
But some witnesses told Congress the gender wage gap was actually smaller when comparing people in the same job. Patrice Onwuka of the Center for Economic Opportunity said women’s personal choices also need to be considered.
“Women tend to consider non financial considerations, like the enjoyment of a future job, personal fulfillment,” said Onwuka.
The U.S. Women’s soccer team is suing the U.S. Soccer Federation over the issue of equal pay. The women’s franchise won four World Cup championships, four Olympic gold medals, sold out stadiums and gear — plus shattered ratings records.
“Despite all of this, we’re still paid less than our male counterparts,” said Rapinoe. “For each trophy of which there are many, for each win, for each tie, for each time we play, less.”
Democrats have been pushing for the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act that would update employment laws and add enforcement tools.
