The lingering and oft-debated inequalities between the two sexes was somewhat reduced when California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Fair Pay Act, widely regarded as one of the toughest pay equity laws in the United States.
Calling the Act "a very important milestone," the governor said "the inequities that have plagued our state and have burdened women forever are slowly being resolved with this kind of bill," at a ceremony at Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in the Bay Area city of Richmond, reported the Los Angeles Times.
"Sixty-six years after passage of the California Equal Pay Act, many women still earn less money than men doing the same or similar work. This bill is another step toward closing the persistent wage gap between men and women," said Brown in a statement after signing the bill into law, reported The Washington Times.
"Today is a momentous day for California, and it is long overdue. Equal pay isn't just the right thing for women, it's the right thing for our economy and for California," said Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, who introduced The California Fair Pay Act after a study found that women earned 84 cents to every dollar that a man earned, reported The Telegraph.
The move was welcomed by rights groups across the nation. "The strongest equal-pay law in the country," is how Equal Rights Advocates Executive Director Noreen Farrell described the new law.
"On behalf of the more than 19 million women and girls who call California home, I thank Governor Brown and the courageous members of the California legislature for showing that true progress to close the gender wage gap is possible," actress Geena Davis said in a statement, reported The Telegraph.
Inequalities in pay exist not only among daily wage earners and blue-collar jobs but also in Hollywood, where Forbes reported that actor Robert Downey Jr. earned $80 million last year, approximately $30 million more than actress Jennifer Lawrence, who earned $52 million.
