Although we have made great strides in recent years - including the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act - we must continue fighting to make sure our mothers, sisters and daughters receive the same opportunities as our male counterparts. In this decades-long fight, however, we have barely narrowed the pay gap and it continues to cost women tens of thousands of dollars each year.
Women are paid less than men in every state. In Michigan, women are paid just 74 cents for every $1 men make - a 26-cent pay gap. That is one of the worst pay gaps in the country. The national average is 77 cents and it's even worse for women of color. In general, a woman would have to work an extra four months to earn what a man doing similar work would earn in all of 2012. That is unacceptable.
This is a women's issue as well as a family issue. Women who work hard every day to provide for their families deserve equal treatment in the workforce and equal pay for equal work. Closing the pay gap would make a world of difference to a mother and family trying to put food on the table and pay the rent or mortgage. Addressing the pay gap is key to strengthening and empowering women and their families.