SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom hosted a roundtable discussion on pay equity in honor of Mom’s Equal Pay Day.

Aug. 15 marks the day a working mother has to work to earn the same amount a working father makes the previous year.

Nationwide, a working mom will earn 62 cents for every dollar working a father works, according to the National Women’s Law Center.

California has some of the strongest equal pay laws in the country, yet a significant pay gap still exists.

On average, a working mom earns 77 cents for every dollar earned by a working father across the state.

“We have to address this pay gap. It’s now or never. That’s the most important thing we can do in this administration,” Siebel Newsom said.

A topic of discussion at the event was the "motherhood penalty" contrasted with the "fatherhood bonus." Research shows women on average lose a percentage of their wages after becoming mothers, while men receive a boost in salary after becoming fathers.

“There shouldn’t be a penalty for having children. In fact, I think some of the best workers in state government are mothers,” Siebel Newsom explained.

At the roundtable, local and state leaders discussed ways to address the pay gap and what supports need to be put in place to help working mothers.

Lieutenant Kionna Rowe, with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, is a working mom with three daughters.

“Anytime that I can be a part of a conversation that can empower women and that can highlight some of the disparities in terms of the gap in pay — I’m honored to be a part of those conversations,” Rowe said.

Rowe wants to be an example of breaking through gender stereotypes when it comes to choosing a profession.

“I’m in a male-dominated profession so I’ve always taught my children that you can do anything you want to be and if you don’t see somebody that looks like you in that space, you can go and enter that space and be the trailblazer,” Rowe noted.

Achieving pay equity is a top priority for Siebel Newsom. She’s championed the California Equal Pay Pledge, which recruits companies to conduct yearly reviews of salaries, hiring and promotion practices to identify barriers that need to be correct to achieve equal pay.

More than 130 companies have taken the pledge since its inception in 2019.

“We have to acknowledge that we are undervaluing and underpaying women. We’ve been doing it historically, and it’s high time we right this ship,” Siebel Newsom emphasized.

Let Inside the Issues know your thoughts and watch Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Spectrum News 1.