Paycheck Fairness Act : Ensuring Equal Pay for Women in the Workplace

he Institute of Women’s Policy Research found that this wage disparity will cost women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over a lifetime in lost wages.

Loopholes created by courts and weak sanctions in the law have allowed many employers to avoid liability for engaging in gender-based pay discrimination. The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 12), introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro and passed by the House on January 9, 2009 by a vote of 256-163, will strengthen the Equal Pay Act and close the loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay.