On Monday, Representatives Lisa Beck (D-Lakes of the Four Seasons), Pat Boy (D-Michigan City), Carey Hamilton (D-Indianapolis), and Carolyn B. Jackson (D-Hammond) outlined bills they’ve co-authored and introduced this legislative session that would help close the gender pay gap in Indiana during the Equality Pay Coalition Press Conference at the Statehouse, which was hosted by the Indiana Institute for Working Families.
According to the Indiana Institute for Working Families, in 2016 in Indiana, the median earnings of full-time male workers were $12,717 higher than the median earnings of full-time female workers. This is a 26-percent wage gap. As the nation’s wage gap narrowed between 2015 and 2016, Indiana’s wage gap widened 2 percentage points. With no single source driving the gender wage gap, Indiana will need to adopt multiple strategies to close it.
Rep. Hamilton introduced and Rep. Beck co-authored House Bill 1288 that would create a state-level child and dependent care tax credit. This state credit would help working mothers afford things like infant and child care when they enter or re-enter the workforce.
Rep. Boy introduced House Bill 1205 that would require school corporations to provide each classroom teacher a salary increase of between 2 and 5 percent. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 77 percent of teachers nationwide are women.
Rep. Jackson introduced House Bill 1047 that would provide equal pay and wage disclosure protection. This would allow more transparency in the work place, so that women can accurately gauge how much they are making in comparison to their male colleagues.
For the first time ever, the Indiana House Democratic Caucus is made up of a majority of women. Reps. Beck, Boy, Hamilton and Jackson are just four of the Indiana House Democratic Caucus’ 17 women members who are committed to addressing the key issues that affect the economic prosperity of Hoosier women and families.