Gillibrand backs pay parity for women

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Tuesday she supports federal legislation to equalize women's pay.

"Women make up more than half the country's population -- and more than half the workforce," the New York Democrat said during a telephone conference on the issue. "Women are out-earning men in college degrees and advanced degrees. But to this day, in 2012, men are still out-earning women at work."

"On average, women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns -- and [it is] even less for women of color. African-American women earn 68 cents on the dollar, and Latinas earn just 59 cents on that dollar."

With working mothers in New York State earning 14.6 percent less than men, according to federal data, Gillibrand said she is a sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which she said is expected to come to a vote "in the coming weeks."

She said the measure closes loopholes employers can use to shortchange workers, holds employers accountable for pay inequity, makes it easier for workers to pursue back pay, and provides working women with access to training and other resources to help them negotiate for a higher paycheck.

Other than Manhattan's $240-a-week average pay differential for men and women, Long Island's two counties show the highest difference in New York State: $151 in Nassau; $143 in Suffolk.

"More than 40 percent of New York families are relying on an unfair paycheck to make ends meet," she said. "Young women and girls deserve to know that there is nothing holding them back from reaching their full potential."

Gillibrand's statistical information was taken from a report by the Joint Economic Committee, citing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.