Posted by Sen. Reid's Staff  on 6/5/2012 - 2:00 PM

 The Senate will vote this afternoon on the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill would give workers stronger tools to combat wage discrimination; bar retaliation against workers for discussing salary information; and help secure adequate compensation for victims of gender-based pay discrimination. Here are some details on the effect on Nevada’s women:

•    Research demonstrates that regardless of occupation, education, industry, marital status, and other factors, pay for women lags behind their male counterparts. Women’s median earnings are less than men’s median earnings in 264 of 265 major occupation categories, including the following occupations in Nevada: 

•    In Nevada, women earn only 90 cents for every dollar earned by men nationwide. Over their lifetime, these women will earn $475,000 less than their male counterparts. [Joint Economic Committee, 5/9/12; Census Bureau; Center for American Progress, 4/10]

•    The wage gap can prohibit working women from fully providing for their families. If the wage gap were eliminated, working women in Nevada would have additional earnings to purchase:
o    56 more weeks of food;
o    4 more months of mortgage payments; or
o    1,894 additional gallons of gas [National Partnership for Women and Families, 4/12]

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