Progress Illinois takes a look at the 8th congressional district race that pits incumbent Democrat Tammy Duckworth against Republican challenger Larry Kaifesh.
U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL,8) called attention to the gender wage gap and federal legislation designed to help close it at a panel discussion in Hanover Park Thursday morning.
In Illinois, women make 78 cents for every dollar that a man earns. On average, females in the Prairie State earn nearly $12,000 less than their male counterparts each year, Duckworth noted.
"Basically, we're shortchanging our families," the congresswoman said at the discussion with representatives from government agencies and non-profits. "That really affects not just the breadwinner, or the women herself, but her entire family" and the local economy "because people have less buying power."
U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL,8) called attention to the gender wage gap and federal legislation designed to help close it at a panel discussion in Hanover Park Thursday morning.