Even in women-dominated professions, men are paid more than their female counterparts. Women comprise 80 percent of the nation’s elementary and middle school teaching force. Their median weekly pay is $937 compared to $1,025 for men. Secretaries and administrative assistants are nearly 95 percent women; their male counterparts receive $100 more in median weekly pay. The gender pay gap according to an informative if maddening Instititute for Women’s Policy Research report, exists in all but three occupations, at every income level and widens within race and ethnic groups. And today the Senate Republicans blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act, intended to help close that gap. Happy belated National Equal Pay Day, by the way. (It was yesterday.)

It’s likely the Paycheck Fairness Act never had a real shot at clearing the Senate. The New York Times describes the bill as part of a larger Democratic strategy to appeal to low- and middle income voters during an election year. Other pillars of that strategy–increasing the federal minimum wage, extending long-term unemployment benefits–aren’t expected to pass the divided House.

(h/t ProPublica)