The Democratic Women’s Club of Florida is demanding equal pay. The Equal Rights Amendment would minimize discrimination in the workplace and give women the opportunity to earn the same wage as men.
Women still receive less pay than men within the same occupation. The reasons for that vary. But The Democratic Women’s Club of Florida President Patricia Farley argues passing the Equal Rights Amendment could help even out the gap.
Farley says, “The pay gap is wearisome. Women still make only 86 cents on the dollar for pay scale, and that’s for white women. For women of color the scale goes down even more to about 54 cents.”
Rep. Patricia Williams (D-Ft. Lauderdale) filed House Bill 1161, renewing an ongoing effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
“Just because the odds are against us and not in our favor, it does not mean we should not strive and continue to fight for equality and justice," Williams says.
And Women’s Club Legislative Director Dian Schrier says the issue is long overdue.
“We are tired of our daughters getting lower pay the moment they get out of school, they start at a lower pay and that works all the way through their pensions. Their whole life they receive fewer bonuses, lower bonuses, lower raises because it’s based on your base rate. It’s time for this subjugation to end.”
Farley says, “With the ERA in the constitution it would be more difficult for lawmakers and judges to reverse our progress already made in eliminating sex discrimination. We would not have to be up here year after year fighting zombie bills that rise from the dead tables.”
This is not the first attempt to ratify the amendment. If passed Florida would be the 37th state to ratify the amendment 36 years after the 1982 congressional deadline.
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