A joint letter from EEOC Chair, Jacqueline Berrien and OPM Director, John Berry, has been sent to all civilian federal employees asserting that they are vowing “the most rigorous possible enforcement” of equal pay laws for federal employees.

“Almost 50 years ago, when President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women were paid on average 59 cents for every dollar paid to men. Today, women are paid an average of 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the numbers are even worse for African American women and Latinas. Studies show that a significant portion of this “gender wage gap” cannot be explained by nondiscriminatory factors. For federal government employees the gap is smaller, but has not been closed yet. Although we have come a long way since 1963, clearly much work remains to be done in order to close the wage gap” – excerpt from letter from Jacqueline Berrien, EEOC Chair and John Berry, OPM Director.

Berrien stated, “We cannot achieve our national commitment to equal employment opportunity until women are included as equal partners in every workplace, including the federal government,” Berrien said in a statement. “The federal government should be a model employer in every regard—including equal pay.”

The memorandum also identified that the EEOC and OPM are working closely with the GAO to identify reasons for the gender pay gap.

EEOC and OPM Target Federal Gender Wage Gap

What are some of your thoughts about why we still have a pay gap? How can the government work to close the gender gap?

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