Equal Pay Day Is April 4th

Equal Pay Day is April 4th. Have you ever heard of this day? It's the day to think about the pay equity issue. Louisiana is still at the bottom of the heap in the country. Louisiana ladies are paid just 68 cents on the dollar for what men are paid.

What that means is that Louisiana earn about $15,000 less than men for the same work.

The National Partnership for Women & Families reports the wage gap for African American women is even larger. Black women make only 48 cents for every dollar paid to men.

Only Wyoming is worse than Louisiana for women. Female workers in Wyoming make 64 cents compare to their mail counterparts.

“Equal Pay Day is a painful reminder that women in this country have had to work more than three months into this year just to catch up with what men were paid last year,” said Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership. “This analysis shows just how damaging that lost income can be for women and their families, as well as the economy and the businesses that depend on women’s purchasing power. Entire communities, states and our country suffer because lawmakers have not done nearly enough to end wage discrimination or to advance the fair and family friendly workplace policies that would help erase the wage gap.”

Members of Congress will be introducing the Paycheck Fairness Act which would address the pay discrimination problem across the country.

Why is April 4th so special? That's how far into the year a woman has to work to catch up to what men are paid.