Far from being resolved by the enactment of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, ""equal pay for equal work"" continues to be a key issue in the United States. Indeed, each year, the Business and Professional Women foundation [BPW/USA] advocates across the country Equal Pay Day events in April to bring attention to Pay Equity. Due to the gender wage gap, according to the 2004 Census Bureau women on average earn 76 cents to each dollar paid to male counterparts. Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman an estimated $500,000.