•HCON 22 IH 
(1) depress employee wages and living standards 
necessary for health and well-being; 
(2) reduce family incomes and contribute to the 
higher poverty rates among women and their families; 
and 
(3) prevent the effective and maximum utilization of 
available labor resources; 
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 half the size of the wage gap between nonunion 
women and men, and women union members typically 
earn $214 more per week than women who are not rep-
resented by unions; 
Whereas, as much as 38 percent of the wage gap is unex-
plained by observable factors such as variation in edu-
cational attainment, industry, and occupation, and may 
reflect discrimination; 
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 
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•HCON 22 IH 
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; 
Whereas 1 in 3 women have been on the receiving end of sex-
ual harassment 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; 
Whereas, if women in the United States received equal pay 
comparable with men, poverty for working women would 
be reduced by half, and the economy would add 
$5,120,000,000 annually, based on a 2017 analysis; 
Whereas the economic fallout from the COVID–19 pandemic 
has had a disproportionate impact on women and women 
of color, with women losing the majority of jobs lost since 
March 2020; 
Whereas, since women earn less on average than their male 
partners, 3 times more women than men have left the 
workforce to look after their children who are learning 
from home; 
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•HCON 22 IH 
Whereas women and women of color are now experiencing the 
lowest rates of employment in decades; and 
Whereas numerous national organizations have designated 
Wednesday, March 14, 2023, as ‘‘Equal Pay Day’’ to 
represent the additional time that women must work to 
compensate for the average 16-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 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) recognizes the disparity between wages paid 
to women and men and its impact on women, fami-
lies, and the Nation; and 
(2) reaffirms its commitment to supporting 
equal pay and to narrowing the gender wage gap. 
Æ 
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