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Gillibrand: When Women are Shortchanged, America's Economy is Held Back

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York state
File photo
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York state

Tuesday is Equal Pay Day, which symbolizes the over 15 months a woman must work to make the same as their male counterpart in 12 months last year.

U-S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for passage of the Equal Pay Act and the Minimum Wage Fairness Act.

In a conference call, Gillibrand says it fundamentally disturbs her that in 2014, women make on average 77 cents on every dollar a man earns, and it's even less for women of color.

And in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region, an estimated 100-thousand households depend on a mother's earnings.

But working women make on average 107-dollars less than men each week.

She adds women make up 62 percent of the minimum wage workforce, and it's simply unacceptable that a single working parent working 40 hours a week earns 290 dollars.

Gillibrand says raising the minimum wage to 10.10 an hour would increase America's GDP by about 22-billion dollars over three years, generating 85-thousand new jobs in the meantime.

Both pieces of legislation are expected to be voted on by the Senate this month.