STATEMENT

WHITE HOUSE CONCEDES WAGE GAP IS A MYTH

Admits 77 Cent Wage Gap is Inaccurate

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The day before President Obama put pen to paper and signed two executive orders in the guise of workplace pay equality, one of the president’s advisers conceded that the 77-cent wage gap statistic is a myth. Independent Women’s Forum releases the following statement:

“The White House has often cited 77-cent wage gap statistic as a political ploy; President Obama has relied on the faulty number ever since his first presidential campaign in 2007 – rarely venturing away from the rhetoric in his State of the Union speeches, fundraising events, and presidential campaign ads.

“The president has called the existence of such a gap an ‘embarrassment’ and ‘wrong.’ But what’s truly embarrassing and wrong is that the president, Democrats in Congress and women groups on the left continue to use this misleading statistic to scare voters and perpetuate the myth that women are  all victims of pay inequality in the workplace. 

“The Administration and its allies know this statistic is false and grossly misleading. On Monday, after being challenged by the media, White House official Betsey Stevenson conceded the wage gap was flawed saying, ‘If I said 77 cents was equal pay for equal work, then I completely misspoke,’ and apologized, ‘I certainly wouldn’t have meant to say that.’

“That's a welcome admission, but now it is time for the President and the rest of the Administration to denounce the use of this misleading statistic and the rest of the phony “War on Women” campaign. 

“IWF has been at the forefront against the Left’s misuse of the wage gap statistic  for years.  IWF has provided solid information debunking the left’s misinformation and explain how ‘protecting’ women with regulations – like the Paycheck Fairness Act – hurts women and the economy and destroys flexibility.

“Our one-of-a-kind stop-frame animation video – Straight Talk About the Wage Gap – has over 38,000 organic views.  Last week, we briefed Congressional women from both the House and Senate on how best to address the wage gap and Paycheck Fairness Act.  And our hard work calling out the wage gap myth garnered the attention of Senate Majority Leader (D-NV).

“The White House admitted what IWF has stated all along – that when you control for a number of variables that impact pay – the pay gap shrinks considerably, nearly disappearing.  It's about time.”

********
www.iwf.org

Independent Women's Forum works to improve the lives of Americans by increasing the number of women who value free-markets and personal liberty. 

MEDIA CONTACT
Victoria Coley | Director of Communications
email: [email protected]
phone: 443.758.6077