Tuesday, March 12, is Equal Pay Day.

In the U.S., this day represents how far into the year the average median women must work in order to have earned what the average median man had earned the entire previous year. For specific populations, the Equal Pay calendar looks quite different. According to the American Association of University Women’s website, Asian American Women’s Equal Pay Day is April 3, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is July 9, Mom’s Equal Pay Day is Aug. 7, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day is Aug. 28, Latina Equal Pay Day is Oct. 3 and Native Women’s Equal Pay Day is Nov. 21.

Equal Pay Day is not a celebration. Despite the Equal Pay Act being introduced more than 60 years ago, the gender and racial pay gaps persist. There’s no debate about the enormous value women bring to the U.S. economy. Yet thanks to systemic sexism and decades of discrimination, women still are paid, on average, just 84 cents for every dollar paid to a man. This gap only worsens when we include women working part-time or seasonally, widening the gap to 78 cents to the dollar.

This gender pay gap exists for every age group, in nearly every profession, and widens over a woman’s lifetime. It follows women throughout their lifetime, making it harder to pay back student loans, save money to buy a house and plan for retirement. And as is listed above, the situation is dramatically more lopsided for most women of color.

Fortunately, there are steps we can take to close the pay gap. Congress could pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act to help close the gender pay gap so all workers can take home a fair paycheck, access the tools they need to challenge discrimination and offer employers incentives to comply with the law. We need an economy where all women can work with equality, safety and dignity, starting with pay equity. The Paycheck Fairness Act would be a solid step in that direction.

The Iron Mountain-Kingsford Branch of the American Association of University Women is an organization dedicated to advancing gender equity and women’s economic security. We urge Congress, especially U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, to ensure that all women are fairly and equitably compensated for their work.