GOV. MALLOY, LT. GOV. WYMAN STATEMENTS ON EQUAL PAY DAY

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman released the following statements to recognize Equal Pay Day:

"I am proud of the steps we have taken to address the gender wage gap in Connecticut, including raising the minimum wage," said Governor Malloy. "About 6 in 10 minimum wage workers are women. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 will improve the economic security of women and their families in Connecticut. But this action alone is not enough. It is unacceptable for women, doing the same work, to earn 78 percent of what men earn. Last year, I created a task force headed by the state's labor and economic development agencies to study the gender wage gap in Connecticut. Commissioners Sharon Palmer and Catherine Smith and the other task force members have drawn up a list of achievable recommendations that we believe will help eliminate gender wage discrimination and bring full economic equality in the workplace."

"Raising the minimum wage is a good start for approximately 125,000 Connecticut women who are earning at or just above the minimum wage, but there is much more we need to do to level the playing field for working women," said Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman. " The Gender Wage Gap study highlights how important it is for all of us to address pay inequality-from ending pay secrecy practices in the private sector to teaching women how to negotiate their compensation to encouraging girls in STEM. There must be equal pay for equal work. It is a fundamental economic security issue for Connecticut women, their families, and the country."

In November, the Gender Wage Gap Task Force issued recommendations to close the wage gap including increasing awareness, promoting pay equity in the private sector, supporting working women, promoting education, and continuing to monitor pay equity. Since the release of the report, Lt. Governor Wyman, in collaboration with Permanent Commission on the Status of Women Executive Director Teresa Younger, has hosted a series of roundtables in East Hartford, Norwich, Stamford, Torrington and Waterbury on issues affecting Connecticut women, such as workplace policies, pay equity, and higher education opportunities.

**Download: The Gender Wage Gap in Connecticut: Findings and Recommendations

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