Where The 2020 Candidates Stand On Equal Pay

Here's something you may have heard us say a million times before, but that doesn't stop being true: The gender wage gap is real and it impacts women's ability to prosper. Research has shown over and over again that women in the U.S. earn on average about 80 cents for every dollar a man makes, and the gap is even worse for most women of color.

Ending the disparity would result in significant economic benefits. According to data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, closing the gap would "cut poverty among working women and their families by more than half and add $513 billion to the national economy." Let's say that again: add $513 billion to the national economy.

Many of the Democratic candidates running for president in the 2020 election have prioritized issues impacting the gender wage gap, from paid family leave and universal child care to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Ahead, we detail where 10 of the 2020 presidential candidates stand on the issue of equal pay for all genders.

The California senator introduced a proposal in May requiring corporations to certify that women and men receive equal pay for equal work or face financial penalties as a way to help close the gender wage gap. The plan differs from other federal anti-discrimination measures by requiring employers to proactively enforce pay equity instead of placing the burden on employees to try to prove gender-based pay discrimination.

The Massachusetts Democrat has released several proposals that could help close the gender wage gap. Her plan for universal child care would allow more mothers to stay in the workforce. Warren also proposed three executive actions she would take on her first day as president to expand economic opportunities for women of color, who often face more roadblocks to pay equity. She has also led by example by paying her staff equally.

The Minnesota senator has not proposed an explicit equal pay plan as part of her presidential platform. However, she has advocated for this issue, most recently by introducing the Even Playing Field Act. The measure — which was co-sponsored by several prominent Democratic senators, including fellow presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — requires athletes on the U.S. national teams receive equal pay and resources.

Gabbard, a U.S. representative from Hawaii, has not introduced a proposal aimed at closing the gender wage gap, but notes on her website that she has voted for the Paycheck Fairness Act, "to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes."

Williamson has not introduced an equal pay proposal, but her women's rights platform includes plans such as "increase rules, regulations, and oversight to prevent pregnancy-related discrimination," "require more post-birth leave time for mothers — and fathers," and "provide more funding for Head Start and high-quality child-care programs."

Gillibrand's Family Bill of Rights, an ambitious family-oriented proposal, includes two measures that could help women prosper economically, particularly those who are parents. The New York Democrat is calling for the implementation of paid family leave nationwide, similar to her FAMILY Act, and the creation of universal pre-K, which would allow mothers to stay in the workforce when their children are younger.

While Biden has not unveiled a gender equity proposal so far, in the past he's shown support for measures such as the Lilly Ledbetter equal pay legislation.

The Vermont senator has not rolled out an equal pay plan, but his women's rights platform includes actions such as adopting equal pay for equal work through the Paycheck Fairness Act and passing the Equal Rights Amendment.

On his website, the South Bend, IN, mayor has called for signing the Paycheck Fairness Act into law, and strengthening anti-discrimination laws, including protections against pregnant workers.

Some of the solutions the former Texas congressman has proposed as part of his equal pay platform include passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, "strengthening legal remedies for equal pay violations," and "limiting use of wage history in the hiring process."