DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and DNC Women’s Caucus Chair Lottie Shackelford released the following statement marking Equal Pay Day:

“On National Equal Pay Day, we recognize the real and persistent problem of gender wage gaps as we mark how far into the new year a woman must work on average to finally earn the same amount as a man did in the previous year — and we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of gender or race, is paid fairly for the work that they do.

“Today, women are paid 84 cents to every dollar paid to men – and that gap is even more pronounced for women of color and women with disabilities. These pay inequities can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars lost over the course of a career — shortchanging women workers and hurting their families’ financial security.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that ensuring equal pay is essential to our economic strength at home and our competitiveness abroad — and they know that America can only remain the strongest economy in the world if we continue tapping into the skills, strengths, and talents of women, who make up about half of our workforce. 

“That’s why the Biden-Harris administration is working relentlessly to continue advancing pay equity across the country and remove barriers that prevent women from obtaining good-paying jobs — from strengthening workplace protections for pregnant workers and working to expand access to quality child care to raising the minimum wage for federal workers and contractors. 

“While we celebrate the enormous progress made under the Biden-Harris administration, we know that there is still much more work to do. Today and every day, we commit to redoubling our efforts to ensure that women and all workers are compensated fairly, regardless of their gender, race, or background.”