Obama calls on Senate to pass equal pay bill to assist women to earn the same pay as men

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is calling on the Senate to pass legislation that will assist women to earn the same pay as men. The bill is not expected to win the support it needs to move forward.

Obama says women now earn, on average, 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

Republicans say the legislation would place too much burden on businesses because they would be required to prove that wage differences do not have a gender basis.

The legislation would also protect employees against retaliation for who revealing their own wages or asking for information about their employers’ wage practices.