Empowering America's Women
As we celebrate Mother's Day today, we pay tribute to our extraordinary mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and sisters who are a beacon of strength in our families, our communities, and our nation, particularly in these difficult economic times. And that means we must pledge, now more than ever, to make sure women have the opportunities and tools to excel through the ranks of our workforce. The well being of our families depends on it and the strength of the middle class depends on it.
Recent figures show that for the first time, women are gaining more advanced college and bachelor's degrees than men. But the reality is, women are still paid less across all major industries. Today, millions of women who make up half the workforce make on average 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. For women of color, the disparity is much greater: African American women earn just 71 cents on the dollar while Latino women only earn 62 cents on the dollar. Over the course of their careers, women and their families will lose anywhere from $700,000 to upwards of more than $1 million.
We must close this chronic wage gap that shortchanges women. When women earn more, families are stronger and children have better access to quality health care and education. That's why I am