A few weeks ago, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that women should trust “karma” instead of asking for pay raises and suggested that the “system” would reward their work. In an apology, Nadella said he was “completely wrong” and via e-mail to Microsoft employees, he wrote:
I wholeheartedly support programs at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap. I believe men and women should get equal pay for equal work… If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask.
Nadella's statement and apology has brought the issue of pay equity into the forefront — and the government's role in addressing wage discrimination. Despite passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which requires that men and women in the same work place be given equal pay for equal work, the "gender gap" in pay persists, according to the White House. Full-time women workers’ earnings are only about 77 percent of their male counterparts’ earnings.
Decades of research shows that no matter how you evaluate the data, there remains a pay gap — even after factoring in the kind of work people do, or qualifications such as education and experience — and there is good evidence that discrimination contributes to the persistent pay disparity between men and women.
Here are some proposals in Congress addressing the wage gap:
- S 2199: Paycheck Fairness Act – (And HR 377 in the House.) Would "strengthen the Equal Pay Act and close the loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay," according to bill sponsors. Requires that employers seeking to justify unequal pay bear the burden of proving that its actions are job-related and consistent with a business necessity; prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their co-workers; puts gender-based discrimination sanctions on equal footing with other forms of wage discrimination – such as race, disability or age – by allowing women to sue for compensatory and punitive damages; requires the Department of Labor to enhance outreach and training efforts to work with employers in order to eliminate pay disparities; requires the Department of Labor to continue to collect and disseminate wage information based on gender; creates a new grant program to help strengthen the negotiation skills of girls and women.
- S 168: Fair Pay Act – (And HR 438 in the House.) Would require employers to provide equal pay for jobs that are comparable in skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions, and would give workers the information they need to determine when jobs are undervalued, according to bill sponsors. Would require employers to disclose pay scales and rates for all job categories at a given company. "This would give employees the information they need to identify discriminatory pay practices. Importantly, it does not require specific information on individual employees. The bill would give all employees the tools they need to have informed pay discussions with their employers."
- S 2172: End Pay Discrimination Through Information Act – Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a sex discrimination complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer.
Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system.
