MADISON – Today, March 8, marks International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. On this day, we also re-commit ourselves to accelerating women's equality worldwide. Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison), Senate Democratic Leader, released the following statement:

“Today, we celebrate the many achievements of the women who came before us, and we honor the efforts of the trailblazing women leading the charge to create a more equitable society for all. Let us take this opportunity to re-commit ourselves to advancing women's rights and gender equality.

“More than fifty years after protections were enacted to prohibit wage discrimination based on sex, the gender pay gap still persists in the United States. The gender wage gap has remained mostly unchanged since the beginning of the century with women earning 82% of what men earned in 2022, and that gap is even greater for Black, Latina, and Indigenous women.

“Our work to create a more equitable society is far from complete. We must continue working to advance opportunities for women, especially those in the workforce.”