April 17, 2012

 Washington, D.C.—Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement on Equal Pay Day, which marks the day to which the average woman has to work to earn what the average man earned last year:

“Equal Pay Day is a reminder that our nation’s gender pay gap is still a reality that holds back women professionally and holds back our nation economically. When a woman makes 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, for the same type of work, it means less money for families to pay for their children’s education or put food on the table.

“We took a big step to close that gap in 2009, when President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored protections for women challenging pay discrimination. But we can’t stop there. We should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help ensure women are paid the same as men who do the same work. Unfortunately, when I brought this legislation for a vote in 2010, Republicans filibustered, and now the leading Republican presidential candidate refuses to declare whether he supports measures that protect wage equality. Nobody should receive a smaller paycheck based solely on their gender. It’s disrespectful and it hurts our nation.”

                                                                           ###