IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. CON. RES. 21
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity between wages
paid to men and women.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH25, 2025
Ms. L
OISFRANKELof Florida (for herself, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. WILLIAMSof
Georgia, Ms. L
EGERFERNANDEZ, Ms. BALINT, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mrs.
B
EATTY, Mr. BELL, Mr. BERA, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BISHOP, Ms. BONAMICI,
Mr. B
OYLEof Pennsylvania, Ms. BROWN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms.
B
UDZINSKI, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CARTERof Louisiana, Ms.
C
ASTORof Florida, Mr. CASTROof Texas, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK,
Ms. C
HU, Ms. CLARKEof New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr.
C
ORREA, Mr. COSTA, Mr. DAVISof Illinois, Ms. DEANof Pennsylvania,
Ms. D
EGETTE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. DELUZIO, Ms. DEXTER, Mrs. DIN-
GELL, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. ELFRETH, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. EVANSof Penn-
sylvania, Mr. F
IELDS, Mr. FOSTER, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. FROST, Mr.
G
ARAMENDI, Ms. GARCIAof Texas, Mr. GOLDMANof New York, Mr.
V
ICENTEGONZALEZof Texas, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GREENof Texas,
Mr. H
UFFMAN, Mr. JACKSONof Illinois, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. JOHNSONof
Georgia, Ms. J
OHNSONof Texas, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. KAPTUR,
Mr. K
EATING, Ms. KELLYof Illinois, Mr. KENNEDYof New York, Mr.
K
HANNA, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. LANDSMAN, Mr. LARSENof Wash-
ington, Mr. L
ARSONof Connecticut, Mr. LATIMER, Ms. LEEof Pennsyl-
vania, Ms. L
EEof Nevada, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MAGAZINER, Mr. MANNION,
Ms. M
ATSUI, Ms. MCBRIDE, Mrs. MCCLAINDELANEY, Ms. MCCLELLAN,
Ms. M
CCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MENG, Mr.
M
ORELLE, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NADLER, Mr. NEAL,
Ms. N
ORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. OLSZEWSKI, Ms. OMAR, Mr.
P
ALLONE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PETTERSEN, Ms. PINGREE,
Mr. P
OCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. RANDALL, Mr. RASKIN,
Ms. R
OSS, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHA-
KOWSKY, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. SCHOLTEN, Mr. DAVIDSCOTTof Georgia,
Mr. S
COTTof Virginia, Ms. SHERRILL, Ms. SIMON, Mr. SMITHof Wash-
ington, Ms. S
TANSBURY, Mr. STANTON, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr.
S
UBRAMANYAM, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. SWALWELL, Mrs. SYKES, Mr.
T
HANEDAR, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. TOKUDA, Mrs. TORRESof Cali-
fornia, Mr. V
ARGAS, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. WASSERMANSCHULTZ, Mrs.
W
ATSONCOLEMAN, Ms. WILSONof Florida, and Mr. TAKANO) submitted
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•HCON 21 IH
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Education and Workforce
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity
between wages paid to men and women.
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d)) prohibits discrimination in com-
pensation for equal work on the basis of sex;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C.
2000e et seq.) prohibits discrimination in compensation
because of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas, more than 6 decades after the passage of the Equal
Pay Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 206 note), Census Bureau
data show that women working full-time, year-round are
paid an average of 83 cents for every dollar paid to all
men, while women overall, including part-time and sea-
sonal workers, are paid just 75 cents for every dollar paid
to men, and Latinas are paid 58 cents, American Indian
and Alaska Native women are paid 58 cents, Native Ha-
waiian and Pacific Islander women are paid 65 cents, Af-
rican-American women are paid 66 cents, White, non-
Hispanic women are paid 80 cents, and Asian-American
women are paid 94 cents, for every dollar paid to White,
non-Hispanic men;
Whereas March 25, 2025, is Equal Pay Day, marking the
day that symbolizes how long into 2025 women must
work to make what men were paid in 2024;
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Whereas April 7, 2025, is observed as Asian American, Na-
tive Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay
Day; July 10, 2025, is observed as Black Women’s Equal
Pay Day; August 28, 2025, is observed as Native Hawai-
ian Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day; October 8,
2025, is observed as Latinas’ Equal Pay Day; October
23, 2025, is observed as Disabled Women’s Equal Pay
Day; and November 18, 2025, is observed as Native
Women’s Equal Pay Day;
Whereas LGBTQI+ women and women with disabilities may
face further pay disparities;
Whereas, for the first time in 21 years, the gender wage gap
grew in 2024;
Whereas, if current trends continue, Asian women are pro-
jected to close the gender pay gap for all workers, includ-
ing part-time, full-time, and seasonal workers, in 23
years, White women in 43 years, Black women in 121
years, and Latinas in 187 years;
Whereas the disparity in median annual earnings for women
and men working full-time, year-round is $11,550, which
can add up to nearly $462,000 over a career;
Whereas women’s median earnings are less than men’s at
every level of academic achievement, with women with
less than a high school diploma being paid 71 percent of
men’s earnings, and women with a professional degree
being paid 70 percent of men’s earnings at the same level
of education;
Whereas women are often paid less than men with lower lev-
els of education, with women with associate’s degrees
paid less than men with a high school diploma, women
with master’s degrees paid less than men with bachelor’s
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degrees, and women with doctorate degrees paid less than
men with master’s degrees;
Whereas, in the United States, mothers working full-time and
all year typically are paid 74 percent of what fathers are
paid;
Whereas the gender wage gap collectively costs women em-
ployed full-time and all year in the United States more
than $994,000,000 in annual lost wages, so that families
have less money to spend on goods and services that help
drive economic growth;
Whereas, if the annual gender wage gap were eliminated for
just 1 year, on average, a working woman in the United
States would have enough money for approximately 13
months of childcare, more than 10 additional months of
rent, more than 7 additional months of mortgage and
utilities payments, almost 3 semesters of tuition and fees
for a 4-year public university or the full cost of tuition
and fees for attending a 2-year college, almost 9 addi-
tional months of premiums for employer-based health in-
surance, almost 75 weeks of food, more than 60 percent
of the maximum annual individual 401(k) contribution,
or enough money to pay off student loan debt in less
than 3 years;
Whereas women hold nearly two-thirds of the Nation’s out-
standing student loan debt, totaling over
$929,000,000,000, and are less likely to be able to pay
off their student loan debt promptly due to wage dispari-
ties;
Whereas the wage gap impacts women’s ability to save for re-
tirement and women’s total Social Security and pension
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benefits, and older women are more likely than men to
live in poverty;
Whereas sex-based wage differentials reduce family incomes
and contribute to the higher poverty rates among women
and their families;
Whereas a wage gap exists in nearly every occupational field,
but opening traditionally male-dominated jobs to women
and reducing occupational segregation by sex increases
earnings for women;
Whereas nearly two-thirds of workers paid the minimum
wage or less are women, and the concentration of women
in low-wage jobs is a significant contributor to the wage
gap;
Whereas the gender wage gap between union women and men
is about three-quarters the size of the wage gap between
nonunion women and men, and women union members
typically are paid $216 more per week than women who
are not represented by unions;
Whereas two-thirds of private sector workers report that em-
ployers either prohibit or discourage them from dis-
cussing their pay, which can keep the existence of pay
discrimination hidden and prevent remedying that dis-
crimination;
Whereas the lack of family friendly policies, such as access
to affordable, quality childcare, paid family and medical
leave, paid sick days, and fair and predictable work
schedules, forces many caregivers to choose between pro-
viding for their families financially and ensuring their
loved ones receive quality care, and contributes to the
wage gap;
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Whereas at least 1 in 3 women have experienced sexual har-
assment during their careers, and an estimated 87 to 94
percent of those who experience sexual harassment never
file a formal complaint;
Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave
their occupation or industry, or pass up opportunities for
advancement, and this contributes to the gender wage
gap;
Whereas equal pay strengthens the economic security of fami-
lies and enhances retirement savings;
Whereas when women are paid fairly, families are stronger,
businesses prosper, and American values and the econ-
omy are strengthened; and
Whereas numerous national organizations have designated
Tuesday, March 25, 2025, as ‘‘Equal Pay Day’’ to rep-
resent the additional time that women must work to com-
pensate for the average 17-percent lower wages paid to
women working full-time, year-round last year: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 1
concurring), That Congress— 2
(1) recognizes the disparity between wages paid 3
to women and men and its impact on women, fami-4
lies, and the Nation; and 5
(2) reaffirms its commitment to supporting 6
equal pay and to narrowing the gender wage gap. 7
Æ
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