Ladies’s soccer stars be a part of Biden to advertise closing pay hole
by: JOSH BOAK, Associated Press
Posted: Mar 24, 2021 / 3:48 PM EDT
Updated: March 24, 2021 / 7:32 PM EDT
Megan Rapinoe, a member of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, visits the White House briefing room ahead of an Equal Pay Day event, Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta)
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden argued Wednesday that the pay gap between men and women had hurt the economy and brought members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team to the White House to set new goals for equality.
On Wednesday there was “Equal Pay Day” – that is how long women have to work on average in order to compensate for the difference in wages between what men and women earned in the previous year. The Census Bureau estimates that a full-time woman would make about 82 cents for every dollar paid to a man.
Biden and his wife Jill hosted a round table with Margaret Purce and Megan Rapinoe of the US women’s national soccer team and other members of the squad who participated virtually. The president then signed a proclamation in honor of the day.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re an electrician, an accountant or part of the best football team in the world,” said Biden. “The pay gap is real. And this team is living proof that you can be the best at what you do and still have to fight for equal pay. “
The women’s team has won the World Cup four times, most recently in 2019. In the same year, however, they sued the US Football Association for wage discrimination. The lawsuit was dismissed in May because the women had accepted a different basic pay structure than the men’s soccer team. The women’s team wants to appeal against the dismissal.
“Despite these victories. I was devalued, I was not respected and I was fired because I am a woman, ”Rapinoe said on Wednesday with the President. “And I was told that I deserve nothing more than less because I am a woman.”
The wage gap affects the entire economy in ways that exacerbate other problems, including racial inequality. The National Women’s Law Center found that black women only make 63 cents for a dollar paid to a non-Hispanic white male, while Hispanic women make only 55 cents. This difference translates into a loss of income of approximately $ 1 million over the course of a lifetime.
“These are not just women’s issues,” said Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the White House Economic Advisory Council, at the press conference on Wednesday. “They affect all families, the recoverability of our economy and the competitiveness of our nation.”
The Biden government is pushing for several directives to narrow the gap. It supports the Paycheck Fairness Protection Act, which would improve a 1963 law by improving employer transparency on wages, require employers to demonstrate that all discrepancies are due to professional qualifications, and prevent employers from opposing employees, express concerns about the wage gap.
The administration also supports paid family leave and better access to childcare. A February research paper by the San Francisco Federal Reserve found that the pandemic caused mothers to drop out of the labor market disproportionately as many were lacking school and childcare facilities in class. The paper found that a flexible work schedule would likely make life easier for mothers with jobs.
