Several Connecticut lawmakers and advocates met on Thursday to raise awareness on Equal Pay Day.
Pay equity advocates, legislators and representatives from the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities were a part of the group calling for the state to close the gender pay gap. The group wore red to represent that women are still "in the red" financially due to the pay gap. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, women are reported to earn just 83 cents for every dollar men earn.
State Representative Kate Farrar said Connecticut currently ranks 22nd in the nation for pay equity. Farrar said the state has seen an increase in the gap in recent years. Efforts to close the gap, she said, would not only benefit women financially but also impact all residents across the state.
“This doesn't mean we’re just making less in our paychecks now; it means that over our lifetime, we earn less, we are less stable as we support our families and ourselves,” Farrar said.
For Black and Latina women, the pay gap is wider. According to Census data, Black women earn just 59 cents for every dollar men earn. For Latina women, it's 49 cents for every dollar men earn. State Representative Kai Belton said in Connecticut, pay equity is not just about fairness, but also survival.
“As a Black woman, a mother, a legislator and a social worker, I have seen and experienced firsthand what happens when systems undervalue labor,” Belton said. “I’ve sat with women who are struggling, working full time, multiple jobs, struggling to afford housing, child care and basic necessities."
Lawmakers in the group expressed their support for House Bill 5387. If passed, it would require employers in Connecticut to provide salary ranges in job postings. The group hopes that greater salary transparency will help close the gender pay gap.
