Louisiana Lawmakers Demand Equal Pay for Women

While some Louisiana lawmakers fight to uphold the state’s ban against sodomy, others are deep in the trenches trying to protect the proverbial back door of the female workforce.

The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee reviewed the issue of equal pay on Wednesday, which ended with them offering their full support on the measure. Senator Karen Carter Peterson says her bill would prohibit business owners from unintentionally paying women a lesser wage than men doing the same job.

Louisiana already has regulations in place that protects women from intentionally being paid less by their employers than men doing the same amount of work. However, representatives with the Legislative Agenda for Women argue that unintentional discrimination has become a problem due to stereotypes that label women as less significant earners.

If the measure is passed, private businesses would be forced to examine their pay scale and ensure that employee salaries are based on legitimate reasons like experience and seniority...not gender.

Peterson says that Louisiana women are currently earning 67 cents to every dollar earned by a man, a problem she believes is detrimental to the overall welfare of the state…having a negative impact on families whose primary earners are women.

The bill now advances to the Senate.