Women became half of the full-time labor force in our nation for the first time in the last decade, and three-quarters of moms are now in the labor force, more than half of whom are the primary breadwinners for their families.

At the same time, women in this country lost more than 5 million jobs in 2020.

The gender pay gap exists for every age group, in nearly every profession, and widens over a woman’s lifetime. It even follows women into retirement, due to lower retirement savings and pensions.

Lost earnings due the wage gap not only leave women without a financial cushion to weather the current crisis, but also make it harder to build wealth, contributing to racial and gender wealth gaps and creating barriers to economic prosperity.

I urge all members of Congress to co-sponsor and support the Paycheck Fairness Act. This critical legislation can help women, their families and our overall economy rebound from the current crisis by guaranteeing equal pay for equal work.

Nai’a Newlight

Haiku