Senate Democrats gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to push for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would help close the pay gap between women and men working equivalent jobs.

Indeed, the National Partnership for Women & Families recently released an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data showing that the gender-based wage gap affects women in nearly every part of the country. In 97% of congressional districts—423 out of 435 districts—the median yearly pay for women is less than the median yearly pay for men, the analysis found. The data does not compare pay for similar jobs but for pay in all jobs between men and women.

The data also listed the top 10 worst state districts for women's pay compared to men. The Paycheck Fairness Act builds upon the first bill President Barack Obama signed into law on Jan. 29, 2009, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which overturned the 180-day statute of limitations for women to contest pay discrimination, as well as the Equal Pay Act signed into law in 1963.

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Melanie Waddell

Melanie is senior editor and Washington bureau chief of ThinkAdvisor. Her ThinkAdvisor coverage zeros in on how politics, policy, legislation and regulations affect the investment advisory space. Melanie’s coverage has been cited in various lawmakers’ reports, letters and bills, and in the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule in 2024. In 2019, Melanie received an Honorable Mention, Range of Work by a Single Author award from @Folio. Melanie joined Investment Advisor magazine as New York bureau chief in 2000. She has been a columnist since 2002. She started her career in Washington in 1994, covering financial issues at American Banker. Since 1997, Melanie has been covering investment-related issues, holding senior editorial positions at American Banker publications in both Washington and New York. Briefly, she was content chief for Internet Capital Group’s EFinancialWorld in New York and wrote freelance articles for Institutional Investor. Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Towson University. She interned at The Baltimore Sun and its suburban edition.