The following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning on Equal Pay Day marking how far into the year women have to work to earn as much as their male counterparts made the previous year:
“We’ve made much progress since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963. On the 21st anniversary of Equal Pay Day, we recognize that we still have a long road ahead to eliminate the general pay gap.
“In Wisconsin, women make 79 cents for every dollar men make and the gap is even larger for women of color. Among the women in our state who hold full-time, year-round jobs, African-American women are paid 61 cents, Latinas are paid 53 cents and Asian women are paid 65 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
“It’s unacceptable that in 2017 women still lose wages to discrimination and have less money to save for their future or to spend on basic goods and services in their community.
