Dear President,

I believe that pay equality should be instated because there is still a pay gap for working women in America.

The pay gap affects women because it makes it harder for them to earn a living wage. “Never married women without children who work full time, year round, are typically paid paid eighty cents for every dollar paid to men who work full time year round,” according to the National Women's Law Center (NWLC). It may not seem like a lot of money at the moment, but think of it like this: Women make eight hundred dollars for every one thousand dollars paid to men. That's a 200 dollar pay gap! Over a working woman's lifetime, she can make up to 700,000 dollars less than a working man (The White House).

The wage gap is also racially unjust because there is “even more of a wage gap for minority women than for white women” (The White House). “For women of color, the wage gap is even larger” (NWLC). Reports show that black women make about sixty five cents for every dollar made by white men, and latina women make about fifty five cents for every dollar made by white men (Huffington Post).

Single mothers with children are also struggling with the wage gap, especially on minimum wage. “Closing the gender wage gap could put half of working moms out of poverty” (Washington Post). It could also give mothers more time to spend with their children during the day. Some mothers leave early in the morning and don't get to see their children until the evening or night. Life for a single mother on minimum wage can be very difficult, especially for a mother named Safiyyah from Philadelphia. She lives in a two bedroom townhouse with her sister on the north side of town. The government helps pay for her housing bill. She gets paid $7.50 an hour, but sometimes, her workplace doesn't let her get her full work hours (CNN).

Pay equality should be instated because everyone, no matter what race, gender, or sexuality, should be paid equally and have the same job opportunities.

Thank you,

Ben