Issue Position: Equal Pay

Issue Position

Senator Schatz is a proud co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would provide more tools for women to challenge pay discrimination at their jobs. A part of the bold Opportunity Plan Senator Schatz introduced with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, this bill will ensure that women can take home the full paychecks they deserve to provide for their families, close loopholes that allow discrimination to continue, and hold corporations with unjust wage practices accountable.

As he watches his 6 year old daughter Mia grow up, Senator Schatz believes it is unacceptable for her or any other woman to enter a working world where women are paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.

It's simple common sense that two people performing the exact same job should receive the same pay regardless of gender. Senator Schatz is working in the Senate to build on the important steps President Obama has taken to combat pay discrimination, including making the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 the first piece of legislation that he signed into law.

Since 1960, the percentage of families with women as the primary or only source of income has risen from 10 percent to 40 percent. Ensuring equal pay is a core part of making sure that families can make it in the 21st century economy. In addition to simple fairness, raising women's pay to the level of their male colleagues could boost America's economy by 4 percent.

In the U.S. Senate, Brian Schatz will not rest until the pay gap is closed and a person's gender no longer determines which careers are open to her or what she will earn over her lifetime.

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