On this Women's Equality Day, we still have a long way to go

Today, August 26, is Women's Equality Day in the U.S., commemorating the anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed in 1920, which gave women the right to vote.

We've come a long way in those 89 years, girlfriends. We can vote. We can even run for president or vice president of the U.S. We have control over our reproduction. Many of us are well educated, have successful careers, and/or are financially independent.

But we still do not get equal treatment in our society, including in the workplace.

According to the National Organization for Women (NOW), American women still only make 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. For women of color, the gap is even greater.

We see this kind of discrepancy and discrimination even among medical doctors. According to Linda Brodsky, M.D., writing for Women's eNews, female physicians earn only 61 cents for each dollar a male physician makes. And a female doctor faces a greater than 80 percent chance of experiencing discrimination and/or sexual harassment at some point during her career.

What you can do:

The Paycheck Fairness Act aims to eliminate unfair wage disparities by closing existing loopholes and strengthening incentives to prevent pay discrimination.

The House passed its version of the Paycheck Fairness Act in January. The Senate, however, had tabled the bill. Now it's time to resurrect it.

>> Contact your senators and urge them to sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182).

>> Learn more about the Paycheck Fairness Act. (PDF)