Pelosi: 'On Equal Pay Day, We Recommit Ourselves to Equality and Opening Doors of Opportunity for America's Women'

WASHINGTON, April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. The Speaker also praised the Obama Administration for today's announcement clarifying Title IX policy:

"Equal Pay Day is an opportunity to honor America's working women, to reaffirm our belief in equal pay for equal work, and to renew our effort to bring fairness and equality to the workplace.

"This Congress has made equal pay a key priority for our economic recovery and a central tenet of our progress as a nation. In passing the Lilly Ledbetter Act — the first bill President Obama signed into law — we restored the right of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay in court.

"With women still earning just 77 cents for every dollar men make, the House also passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and imposing stiff penalties on employers who discriminate based on gender. We look forward to working with the Senate to complete this bill and send it to the President's desk.

"We must ensure equity for women even before receiving our first paycheck — whether in the classroom or on the playing field. I commend the Obama Administration for today's announcement clarifying Title IX policy, ensuring the interests and abilities of both genders are represented in athletic activities — one of the key areas young people learn to lead, compete, and excel.

"When we support women, we invest in communities. When a mother is rewarded for a hard day's work, families grow stronger. When a woman is paid fairly, we move one step closer to living up to our nation's goal of equality. When a girl is given the opportunity and the training to compete, we build stronger leaders for tomorrow.

"On this Equal Pay Day, we must recommit ourselves to equality and to opening the doors of opportunity for America's women and to putting our families first."

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House