National Equal Pay Day, 2010

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8502 of April 20, 2010

National Equal Pay Day, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our Nation's history, extraordinary women
have broken barriers to achieve their dreams and blazed
trails so their daughters would not face similar
obstacles. Despite decades of progress, pay inequity
still hinders women and their families across our
country. National Equal Pay Day symbolizes the day when
an average American woman's earnings finally match what
an average American man earned in the past year. Today,
we renew our commitment to end wage discrimination and
celebrate the strength and vibrancy women add to our
economy.

Our Nation's workforce includes more women than ever
before. In households across the country, many women
are the sole breadwinner, or share this role equally
with their partner. However, wage discrimination still
exists. Nearly half of all working Americans are women,
yet they earn only about 80 cents for every dollar men
earn. This gap increases among minority women and those
with disabilities.

Pay inequity is not just an issue for women; American
families, communities, and our entire economy suffer as
a result of this disparity. We are still recovering
from our economic crisis, and many hardworking
Americans are still feeling its effects. Too many
families are struggling to pay their bills or put food
on the table, and this challenge should not be
exacerbated by discrimination. I was proud that the
first bill I signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair
Pay Restoration Act, helps women achieve wage fairness.
This law brings us closer to ending pay disparities
based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, or
disability by allowing more individuals to challenge
inequality.

To further highlight the challenges women face and to
provide a coordinated Federal response, I established
the White House Council on Women and Girls. My
Administration also created a National Equal Pay
Enforcement Task Force to bolster enforcement of pay
discrimination laws, making sure women get equal pay
for an equal day's work. And, because the importance of
empowering women extends beyond our borders, my
Administration created the first Office for Global
Women's Issues at the Department of State.

We are all responsible for ensuring every American is
treated equally. From reshaping attitudes to developing
more comprehensive community-wide efforts, we are
taking steps to eliminate the barriers women face in
the workforce. Today, let us reaffirm our pledge to
erase this injustice, bring our Nation closer to the
liberty promised by our founding documents, and give
our daughters and granddaughters the gift of true
equality.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim April 20, 2010, as
National Equal Pay Day. I call upon all Americans to
acknowledge the injustice of wage discrimination and
join my Administration's efforts to achieve equal pay
for equal work.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.