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Treasurer Pearce Statement on April 10, 2018 as Equal Pay Day

April 9, 2018

State Treasurer Beth Pearce made the following statement in recognition of April 10, 2018 as Equal Pay Day:

According to data provided by Change The Story VT, women in Vermont working full time still make only 84 cents to every dollar that their male counterparts make. As the primary earners of many of Vermont’s households, closing the gender pay gap supports the financial wellbeing of Vermont families and our economy. These disparities are even greater for women of color, those with disabilities, and those in the LGBTQ community.

The impact is substantial, especially when women reach retirement. Women over the age of 65 are more likely to experience retirement insecurity, depend on social security as their primary or only source of retirement income, and spend their retirement years below the poverty line. Closing the pay gap is vital to Vermont’s economic prosperity today and our citizens’ financial stability in retirement.

Thank you to all organizations that support these efforts. I want to especially thank Tiffany Bluemle and Change The Story VT for their great work raising awareness on these important issues.

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