These 6 countries make America’s gender pay gap look embarrassing
An employee creates a sock at the Tricotage des Vosges factory in Vagney, eastern France.
Decades after the women's liberation movement, the United States still doesn't pay men and women equally.
The data shows the United States even has a lot of catching up to do when compared to the rest of the world.
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US President Barack Obama signed executive orders earlier this week meant to beef up existing equal pay laws and called on Congress to approve a paycheck fairness bill that would impose new regulations on companies to ensure women weren't earning less than their male colleagues.
But the bill, known as the Paycheck Fairness Act, died a quick death in the Senate on Wednesday.
No future legislation is in the works, though the senator who sponsored the bill isn't ready to back down from a fight.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat from Maryland, said, "We're going to continue the fight to get equal pay for equal work."
"For the women, put your lipstick on, and let's fight on," she said.
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Whether you wear lipstick or not, here are some stats for you: According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, America's gender pay gap stood at 19 percent in 2012, meaning US women earned 81 cents for every $1 of their male co-workers.
That's 16th best in the world, far behind global leaders.
Here's a look at six countries that make America's gender pay gap look, well, downright embarrassing. The data is based on the latest OECD figures for hourly wages.
Each number means women make that much less than their male colleagues, per unit of currency. For example, in our list topper, New Zealand, women make 94 cents to the $1 that their male counterparts make:
1. New Zealand (6.2 percent)
(Cameron Spencer AFP/Getty Images)
2. Norway (6.4 percent)
(Daniel Sannum Lauten AFP/Getty Images)
3. Hungary (11.3 percent)
(Attila Kisbenedek AFP/Getty Images)
4. Australia (13.8 percent)
(Daniel Kalisz AFP/Getty Images)
5. Czech Republic (15.1 percent)
(Sean Gallup AFP/Getty Images)
6. Slovakia (16 percent)
(SAMUEL KUBANI AFP/Getty Images)
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