Last week, U.S. women’s soccer captain Megan Rapinoe and other members of the team joined President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden at an Equal Pay Day event to highlight the importance of equal pay for women.
Equal Pay Day is marked on a different date each year, depending on how much longer it takes for an average woman to earn the same amount of money her male counterpart. This year, that day was March 24, with the average woman earning 82 cents to the dollar earned by the average man. The pay equity gap is even starker when race is considered, with black women and Latina women earning, respectively, 63 cents and 55 cents to the dollar earned by men.
“This is personal to me, because it’s personal to all women,” Dr. Biden said during her remarks. “It’s one example of how we still treat women differently than men.”
During the event, President Biden vowed that his administration would take steps to address the inequity. According to Cecilia Rouse, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, these measures will include support for the Paycheck Fairness Act, paid family leave, and more affordable childcare.
Women Attorneys at Venable (WAVe), our firm’s affinity group for women lawyers, welcomes the president’s commitment to closing the gender pay gap. As we continue our work to advance women in the legal industry and beyond, we will be keeping a close eye on these developments.
To learn more about WAVe events and activities, please visit our webpage.