Despite having made huge strides in achieving equality between men and women over recent decades, it is a fact that men still earn more than women for performing the same job. The statistics published by the United States Census Bureau in 2014 show that on average, women earn 79 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts.

On Equal Pay Day, women and men around the country recognize the wage gap between working women and men, and use the opportunity to offer remedies that can help address this issue.

To mark the day, Chester County Fund for Women and Girls has taken the opportunity to point out that Pennsylvania does not measure up, as according to the United States Census Bureau, women here are paid even less than their male counterparts: 77 cents on the dollar compared with men. The CCFWG emphasizes that this costs women and their families thousands of dollars annually, and hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of their career.

To help solve the issue, CCFWG offers four ways to address the problem.

The steps proposed include keeping affirmative action programs available to qualified women to ensure they have access to education, jobs, and promotion opportunities. Another suggestion is to push employers to examine and correct unfair pay practices at their companies. Women also need to be encouraged to stand up for themselves and require equal pay and the final option highlights federal legislation such as the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act.

On May 12th, the CCFWG will release the 2016 Blueprint Report on the State of Women in Chester County.

This will give stakeholders in the community a complete and objective assessment of the current status of women in the county and provide insight on how to better serve their interests. The event will be held in partnership with the Chester County Women’s Commission at Penn State Great Valley. To ensure your free seat on time, register here.

Check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Chester County Fund for Women and Girls here.