Women in the U.S. who work full time, year round are paid only 80 cents for every dollar paid to men — and for women of color, the wage gap is even larger. It’s long past time to close the gap.

What’s at Stake Today

The wage gap is a harsh reality for women, regardless of education and work experience — and it only gets worse as women’s careers progress. The wage gap typically translates into more than $10,000 per year in lost earnings for women. The good news is that there’s a clear path ahead to fair pay for women.

What Is NWLC Doing?

We’ve been working for more than four decades to make sure men and women earn the same pay for the same work — and women’s wages have come a long way in that time. But there’s still a lot more to be done.

We’re advocating for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, a common-sense bill that would make it easier for women to combat wage discrimination, keep businesses from punishing their employees for discussing their pay, and make sure victims of wage discrimination are compensated.

Plus, since women tend to be concentrated in low-wage jobs — a full two-thirds of minimum-wage workers are women — raising the minimum wage is another key measure that would have a huge impact on the wage gap. We’re working with state and federal lawmakers to support raising the wage to promote fair pay for women.