April 22nd, 2008 is Pay Equity Day

Atima Omara-Alwala, the National Chair of the Young Democrats of America Women's Caucaus, has asked that we share this information with you today.

Currently, women earn 77 cents to the dollar, over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family an estimated $700,000 to $2 million, impacting Social Security benefits and pensions.

In 1996, Equal Pay Day was created by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) as a way to raise awareness about the gap between men's and women's wages. The day, observed on a Tuesday in April, symbolizes how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. (Tuesday is the day on which women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous week.) Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. The wage gap is even greater for most women of color.

As Young Democrats we are well positioned to make a difference in our communities. Visit www.yda.org/payequity2008 to learn what you can do in your Young Democrat local chapters and/or your local Women's Caucuses, to raise awareness and take action around an issue important to us all.

Take Action for Pay Equity Today!
www.yda.org/payequity2008