Presidential Documents

30829

Federal Register

Vol. 65, No. 94

Monday, May 15, 2000

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 7306 of May 11, 2000

National Equal Pay Day, 2000

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Long before President Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963,

women had proved their ability to contribute to America’s labor market.

During World War II, when labor shortages offered women an unprecedented

opportunity to work outside the home, women excelled at jobs traditionally

reserved for men. Yet, despite their enormous contribution to maintaining

American production lines, women in the workforce were paid less than

their male counterparts.

For most of our Nation’s history, in fact, women have served within a

sharply segregated workforce, enjoying fewer educational and training opportunities than men and struggling all too often to disprove confining stereotypes about their roles and capabilities. But throughout the decades, women

of courage, energy, and determination have continued to enter the workforce

and open doors of opportunity for succeeding generations. Today, more

women are in the labor force than ever before; the female unemployment

rate is at its lowest in more than 40 years; the poverty rate for households

headed by women is the lowest ever recorded; and the pay gap has narrowed

substantially since 1963.

Despite these gains, the battle for equal pay for women is far from over.

Although 37 years have passed since the passage of the Equal Pay Act,

the average woman today must still work an additional 17 weeks a year

to earn what the average man earns. That pay gap grows wider as women

grow older, and it is widest for women of color. African American women

earn 64 cents for every dollar earned by white men, and Hispanic women

earn just 55 cents. While some of these disparities can be attributed to

differences in education, experience, and occupation—which themselves

often reflect troubling inequities—several studies confirm that a significant

pay gap persists even after we account for these factors.

My Administration has worked hard to ensure that every American is treated

with fairness and dignity in the workplace, and this year I proposed a

$27 million equal pay initiative in my fiscal year 2001 budget to combat

unfair pay practices against women. This initiative includes $10 million

in funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to

identify more quickly and respond more effectively to wage discrimination.

The initiative would also enable the EEOC to launch a public service campaign to educate employees and employers about their rights and responsibilities under equal pay laws. In addition, the initiative includes funding

for the Department of Labor to train women for jobs they have not traditionally held, such as those in the high-paying technology sector, and to help

employers recruit and train qualified women for nontraditional occupations.

I have also urged the Congress to strengthen existing wage discrimination

laws by promptly passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. This proposed legislation would provide increased penalties for equal pay violations; prohibit

employers from punishing employees who share salary information with

coworkers; and provide funding for research on wage discrimination and

for increased training for EEOC employees who work on wage discrimination

cases.

30830 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 94 / Monday, May 15, 2000 / Presidential Documents

Throughout the decades, working women have persevered in their struggle

for equal pay, buoyed by an unshakable faith in their own skills and selfworth and a firm commitment to the ideals of our democracy. On National

Equal Pay Day, I urge all Americans to join the crusade to secure equal

pay for women and to create a just and honorable work environment in

which all our citizens are rewarded fairly for their talents, experience, and

contributions.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution

and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 11,

2000, as National Equal Pay Day. I call upon government officials, law

enforcement agencies, business leaders, educators, and the American people

to recognize the full value of the skills and contributions of women in

the labor force. I urge all employers to review their wage practices and

ensure that all their employees are paid equitably for their work.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day

of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence

[FR Doc. 00–12287

Filed 5–12–00; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.

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