It has been decades since women successfully fought to have careers of their own, instead of relying on husbands or parents to earn a living for them. Today, nobody thinks twice about women employed in virtually every possible field of employment once thought to be solely for men.

Woman make up nearly half the U.S. workforce, and are either the main breadwinner, or earn as much as the other breadwinner, in four out of 10 households. Women are a vital part of the U.S. economy, both within their families and at the national scale.

Despite all this, the wage gap that has bedeviled women who work outside the home continues to be going strong. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, last year female full-time workers earned 79 cents for each dollar earned by men. On average, women earn less than men in virtually every job in which the IWPR had enough data to determine an accurate ratio.

Equal pay for equal work may seem like a simple concept, but it continues to be a goal, rather than reality. And the implications are serious for working women. IWPR claims that the poverty rate for working women would be halved if they were paid the same salary as men in comparable positions.

Unequal pay based on gender is a form of workplace discrimination. Women impacted by this practice can choose to take action. An employment law attorney can help fight for the pay, career opportunities and workplace conditions you deserve.