The Movement for Pay Transparency

President Obama signed two executive orders today on equal pay for women employed by federal contractors. He appeared with Lilly Ledbetter, whose name is on the Equal Pay Act, the first bill he signed after taking office. He was surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. In the economy as a whole, women make 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Republicans like to point out that there’s also a gender gap at the White House -- with women making 88 cents compared to the men. Bryce Covert is economic policy editor at Think Progress and a contributor to The Nation magazine.