This week, the Minnesota Senate passed legislation that’s meant to address pay disparities and protect women in the workplace. Among other things, the legislation would require companies with government contracts to certify that they pay men and women equally, and require employers to be more flexible with pregnant and nursing mothers. State Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, sponsored the bill. She argued on the Senate floor that protecting female employees is critical for the economy because their salaries are more and more likely to their household’s primary source of income. “Fifty percent of the state’s working mothers are the primary breadwinner for their family, as the sole earner or earning more than their spouse,” Pappas said. She went on to add that, “the pay gap is stuck at about 20 percent, that is women earning 80 percent of what men do on average.” 
PoliGraph: Pappas stats about women workers correct
['Minnesota']