Thaindian News

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – President Barack Obama said that pay parity in the United States is far from reality as women earn only 77 cents per dollar earned by men.

Obama’s remarks came on the 47th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law such act which sought to end wage discrimination on the basis of sex. In those days women were paid 59 cents per every dollar earned by men.

“All women – and their families – deserve equal pay. Women now make up nearly half of the nation’s workforce, most homes have two working parents, and 60 percent of all women work full-time,” Obama declared.

The U.S. President highlighted that these pay inequity only hampers the national economy as the U.S. are still emerging from one of the worst recessions in its history. However, some steps to fight this issue have been taken by the Obama Administration.

On January 29, 2009, Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which restored the right to seek a remedy for women who face wage discrimination during their careers. This was the first bill signed into law by Obama.

The National Equal Pay Task Force was created by Obama to bring together federal agencies in order to combat violations of equal pay laws.

“I appreciate the House acting on the Paycheck Fairness Act early last year, and I renew my call to the Senate to modernize and strengthen the Equal Pay Act by closing loopholes, providing incentives for compliance, and barring certain types of retaliation against workers by employers.”