DeLauro Statement on Wage Discrimination in U.S. Soccer

WASHINGTON, DC (March 31, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding news that five members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team filed a federal complaint charging U.S. soccer with wage discrimination.

“Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Hope Solo should be commended for stepping up and doing what every American woman deserves: asking for the same pay as their male counterparts. Men and women in the same job should have the same pay. Period. Wage discrimination takes place not just on the soccer field, but in the board room, on the factory floor, and in countless other workplaces across the country.

“At a time when women still make 79 cents, on average, to a man’s dollar, wage discrimination collectively costs American women billions of dollars each year. We must do better for women in the workplace. Congress should immediately pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and give women across the country the tools they need to fight wage discrimination and recover lost wages. It is unbelievable that we are still fighting this fight in 2016 – more than 50 years after the Equal Pay Act was enacted. Enough is enough!”

Last year, DeLauro reintroduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by holding employers accountable for discriminatory practices, putting an end to pay secrecy, easing workers’ ability to individually or jointly challenge pay discrimination, and fortifying the available remedies for wronged employees.

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