A consistent pattern has emerged in President Barack Obama’s presidency, a focus aimed at narrowing the wage gap between men and women. Tuesday, April 8, he kicked off Equal Pay Day by signing two executive orders pertaining specifically to federal contractors. He signed one executive order prohibiting federal contractors from taking action on employees that discuss their pay. The other order directs the Department of Labor (DOL) to propose within 120 days “a rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors to submit to DOL summary data on the compensation paid their employees, including data by sex and race.” As many will recall, the President foreshadowed this motive nine days after his 2009 Presidential Inauguration with his first bill signed into law approving the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Citing a well-used statistic that working women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar that a man earns, the second mentioned Executive Order also states that the pay gap is even greater for African-American women and Latinas. While encouraging the DOL to “rely on existing reporting frameworks” it is clear that the DOL will be paying closer attention to compensation practices of Federal Contractors, especially as it relates to those who are currently stated to be underpaid. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/04/08/presidential-memorandum-advancing-pay-equality-through-compensation-data)