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Analysis on women's wages in the U.S. released

A new analysis conducted by the National Partnership for Women and Families found that on average, Florida women employed full-time are paid 85 cents for every dollar paid to men, which is a yearly pay gap of $6,203.

Women in Florida lose nearly $17 billion every year, which is money that could strengthen the state economy and the financial security of Florida's women and families, including the nearly 960,000 Florida households headed by women, the group said.

The analysis spans the 50 states, all 435 congressional districts in the country and the District of Columbia.

The findings include that for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men in Florida, African American women, Latinas and Asian women, who are employed full-time, are paid 61 cents, 59 cents and 74 cents, respectively.

"This analysis is a sobering reminder of the serious harm the wage gap causes women and families all across the country," said president of the National Partnership Debra L. Ness. "At a time when women's wages are so critical to the economic well-being of families, the country is counting on lawmakers to work together to advance the fair and family-friendly workplace policies that would promote equal pay. There is no time to waste."

According to the new analysis, if the gap between women's and men's wages in Florida were eliminated, each woman who holds a full-time, year-round job in the state could afford to buy food for one more year, pay for mortgage and utilities for five more months, or pay rent for more than six additional months. Basic necessities like these would be particularly important for the 29 percent of Florida's woman-headed households currently living below the poverty level.

Florida is not the only state with a wage gap. The analysis shows that every state and 98 percent of the country's congressional districts have one.

The National Partnership's national analysis finds that the 10 states with the largest cents-on-the-dollar wage gaps in the country - from largest to smallest - are Louisiana, Utah, Wyoming, West Virginia, North Dakota, Alabama, Idaho, Oklahoma, Montana and Michigan.

"It is unacceptable that the wage gap has persisted, punishing the country's women and families for decades," Ness said. "Some state lawmakers have taken steps to address the issue by passing legislation to combat discriminatory pay practices and provide other workplace supports. It is past time for federal lawmakers to do the same. We need Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is a common sense proposal that has languished for much too long."

The Paycheck Fairness Act, which is currently before Congress, would close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act, help to break patterns of pay discrimination and establish stronger workplace protections for women.

The National Partnership argues that the bill, along with other supportive policies - such as paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, minimum wage increases, fair scheduling and protections for pregnant workers - are what is needed to close the gap and should be top priorities for lawmakers.