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Leaders: 'Pay Equity Day' On Long Island Again Serves As Teachable Moment For Young Girls Everywhere

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Leaders joined forces in Suffolk County on Tuesday to call for equal pay and equal rights for women.

On average, women make 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. But for women of color, the numbers are even more alarming. African-Americans make 61 cents, Native Americans 58 cents and Latinas 53 cents.

"Equal Pay Day" kicked off in the county with lawmakers, moms, coaches and players calling for gender equality, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported

They want equal pay for women everywhere, beginning with the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the world. The American women have won the World Cup three times and Olympic gold four times in their illustrious history.

However, the players make just a fraction of what the members of the U.S. men's team make, the same men's national team that is currently ranked 25th in the world and has never won a World Cup or Olympic gold.

"Every young woman, every girl, should be able to dream a dream of their future without the taint of discrimination," Suffolk County Majority Leader Kara Hahn said.

"I think it's very important that the women get paid more than the men because they train much harder. They train even harder than the men and the men are not ranked as well as the women," 11-year-old Sophia Rosalia said.

FLASHBACK: U.S. Women's Soccer Parade Gives De Blasio Perfect Arena To Talk Pay Equity

It's being called a teachable moment for young girls everywhere.

"I have two daughters and I am so in shock that it is still such an issue," parent Leah Jantzen added.

There is a bright spot, however. Suffolk County has become the latest jurisdiction to ban an employer from asking about a job applicant's wage and salary history.

"It's important because if your pay was lower to begin with as a woman ... so now you're being put in a situation where they are using the base line of that lower salary," civil rights attorney Valerie Cartright said.

It's called the "RISE Act." You do the same work, you get the same salary.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be a strong woman and I know that you ladies will grow up to be just that," Ward Melville High School field hockey coach Shannon Sioss said. "So when somebody says, 'You throw like a girl,' you show them exactly what it means to throw like a girl."

According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, women continue to face workplace hardships such as fewer promotions, less support, implicit bias, pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment.

Data suggests that workplace discrimination has pushed a large share of female workers toward starting their own businesses in recent years.

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