Capitol Rally Calls for Pay Equity

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers gathered in Harrisburg on Tuesday to call attention to the fact that women earn less than their male colleagues.

A number of the state's professional and business women also joined the Pay Equity Rally in the Capitol Rotunda.

“On average, women with the same credentials, education and experience make just 76 cents for every dollar their male counterparts are paid each year. Sadly, this fact stretches across all types of professions – from hourly wage earners to professionals with advanced degrees,” Rep. Kathy Watson (R-Bucks) said at the rally. “A woman with the same qualifications, experience and credentials as a man should be paid the same.”

In 2012, the average working woman earned $37,791, while the average working man earned $49,398.

Because Social Security payments are based on lifetime earnings, this disparity follows women into retirement, Watson said.

“Pay equity does not mandate across-the-board salaries for any occupation, nor does it tamper with supply and demand,” Watson continued. “It merely means that wages must be based on job requirements like skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions without consideration of race, sex or ethnicity.”