I am a strong believer in equal pay for equal work,

and I think that we ought to do better than we're doing.

Tina Tchen: In 1963,

President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act,

a milestone piece of legislation

that made it the law of the land that men and women

receive equal pay for equal work.

However, 50 years later, the average full-time working woman

is still earning 77 cents to every dollar earned by a man,

and the gap is significantly more for women of color.

This means even though women make up nearly half

the workforce and increasingly are the primary breadwinners,

they are, on average, bringing home 23 percent less than men.

So we still have work to do.

Jacqueline Berrien: Almost half of the workforce

today are women, and we know that what happens

for nearly half of the workforce

has a profound effect not only on the workforce,

but on the lives of women and children and families

across the entire nation.

Patricia Shiu: Being able to get a good job

and being paid fairly is a really important right

for both men and for women.

That money is necessary to raise a family,

and it makes a huge difference

in terms of how that family is raised,

what kind of food you put on the table,

what kind of colleges their kids may be able to go to,

if they go to college at all.

It's a huge difference.

The President: Signing this bill today

is to send a clear message

that making our economy work

means making sure it works for everybody,

that there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces,

and that it's not just unfair and illegal;

it's bad for business to pay somebody less

because of their gender or their age or their race

or their ethnicity, religion, or disability.

We're going to crack down on violations of equal pay laws

so that women get equal pay for an equal day's work.

Tina Tchen: From signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

to establishing the Equal Pay Task Force,

from day one President Obama has been committed

to making sure he does his part.

As part of that Task Force,

we launched the Equal Pay App Challenge

to find innovative ways to bridge the gap.

This challenge inspired innovators

to build notable applications,

including Close the Wage Gap, Acquitas, and Narrow the Gap.

Another app, OES Data Explorer,

is fueled by open government data from across the country.

These apps will help women get better information

to compare their wages and negotiate fair salaries.

In the words of President Obama, if we stay focused,

we can close the pay gap

and ensure that our daughters have the same rights,

the same chances, and the same freedom to pursue their dreams

as our sons.