President Obama Issues New Action to Close the Gender Pay Gap

Image courtesy of @POTUS

On Friday, President Obama announced a new plan to require companies to include salary info based on gender, race, and ethnicity in a yearly report to the federal government.

“Women are not getting the fair shot that we believe every single American deserves,” President Obama said during his announcement, according to The New York Times. “What kind of example does paying women less set for our sons and daughters?”

The new policy will apply to companies with 100 or more employees, who already annually report information on employees’ sex, age, and job groups. It expands on an executive order President Obama issued two years ago, which requires federal contractors to submit salary information based on gender.

In a tweet, the White House further called attention to the disparate earnings of women of color, sharing an infographic depicting the pay gaps between white, black, and Hispanic women.

Image courtesy of @WhiteHouse

The announcement coincides with the seventh anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gives employees more opportunities to file lawsuits regarding pay discrimination. In addition to monitoring income inequality, the White House stated that the new requirement will also encourage businesses to take a closer look at their own operations and prevent any discriminatory practices from occurring.