Today, April 28, is Equal Pay Day, marking the point in 2009 when the average woman's wages finally catch up with what the average man earned in 2008. If you need to pause for a minute to consider what I'm saying here, you're probably not alone...in 2009, women have to work an extra four months (Jan - April) to match men's earnings. This is because women working full time, year-round are paid only about 78 cents for every dollar earned by men.

President John Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963--over four decades ago--yet the wage gap between men and women is narrowing by less than half a percent per year. The numbers get even more dismal when you break them down further: African-American women make 63 cents and Hispanic women make 52 cents for every dollar that a man receives in wages. These facts are true even when women make the same career choices as men and work the same hours--regardless, they still earn less.

Thankfully, there's hope in the midst of this springtime air. Encouraging strides have been made in the twelve months since Fair Pay Day 2008 in giving women the ability to challenge unequal pay. The recently-enacted Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act marks a critical first step in fighting pay discrimination.

Next up: The Paycheck Fairness Act. This legislation, which has already passed in the House, would build on the success of the Ledbetter bill and deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages. Urge Your Senators to Support the Paycheck Fairness Act

There is much work still to be done to ensure that every worker earns a fair day's pay and I could give you at least 50 reasons why women deserve fair pay -- but I'll direct you instead to the National Women's Law Center, who released new state-by-state data on the wage gap. Gender wage disparity will cost women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over a lifetime in lost wages. Find out where your state stands.