DeLauro Responds to Evidence of Pay Gap Just One Year Out of College

DemonstratesNeed for Congress to Pass Paycheck Fairness Act

NEWHAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro released the following statement todayresponding to a studyby the American Association of University Women (AAUW) showing the gender-basedpay gap is real and undeniable. According to AAUW, women who graduatedduring the 2007-08 school year and working full time made an average of $35,296in 2009, compared to an average of $42,918 for men. Even after controlling forfactors such as college major or field of employment, one-third of the pay gapwas still unexplained.

"Opponentsof equal pay have repeatedly dismissed it as a distraction, or a product ofwomen's choices. But this study shows that the pay gap is real andundeniable, manifesting itself at the very beginning of women's careers. The fact that women just one year out of college are making only 82 percent ofwhat their male counterparts make shows pay discrimination is clearly notsomehow due to a woman's choice. The existence of a pay gap even afteraccounting for factors like career and college major demonstrate the need forCongress to act on the issue.

"Congressneeds to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to relieve the financial pressureswomen face in all stages of their careers. My Republican colleagues canno longer block the legislation, bury their heads in the sand, and claim it isa myth. Our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters deserve better."

DeLaurois the original author of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which she first introducedin 1997, and has reintroduced in every Congress since. The law would putreal teeth into the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to ensure women receive equal pay forequal work. The Paycheck Fairness Act would put an end to pay secrecy,strengthen workers' ability to challenge discrimination and bring equal pay lawinto line with other civil rights laws. President Obama has said he wouldsign the legislation should it come to his desk.