McMorris Rodgers on Glamour.com: Gender Discrimination has No Place in Our Workforce

“Gender discrimination has no place in our workforce,” says Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) in her latest op-ed on Glamour.com.  “I believe if we’re serious as a nation about empowering every American to pursue his or her own dreams, then true cases of gender discrimination need to be confronted.”

With several high-profile stories dominating news coverage, we’re reminded that we need to have a broader conversation not just on issues of pay discrimination, but on how we can level the playing field so everyone in this country has an opportunity to succeed in the workforce regardless of their background or walk of life.

Writes McMorris Rodgers, “There are important laws in place to protect against it, but sometimes it takes a high-profile case to bring attention to an issue and set examples for others. Because of this, I applaud [the U.S. women’s national soccer team] for publicly exercising their rights to raise questions.

“Now it’s up to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—the federal agency responsible for administering and enforcing federal civil rights laws against workplace discrimination—to review the team’s case. Regardless of their findings, I believe this case highlights the need for a national conversation about how we can level the playing field once and for all when it comes to equal pay.

“Women have made tremendous advances in the past century. We now represent nearly half of the workforce, and median wages today are 50 percent higher than our mothers’. As the highest-ranking Republican woman in the U.S. House of Representatives and the mom of two daughters, I believe if we’re serious as a nation about empowering every American to pursue his or her own dreams, then true cases of gender discrimination need to be confronted.

“It’s time for Congress to review protections provided in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title XII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If these half-century-old laws aren’t working or properly enforced, then it’s time for us to strengthen them.”

CLICK HERE to read the entire op-ed on Glamour.com, where McMorris Rodgers, who has always believed in equal work for equal pay and stands against gender discrimination, goes on to discuss a number of the ideas she supports to ensure gender discrimination ends once and for all.