Ignorance, silence, indifference and apathetic attitudes are no longer an option–despite recent strides toward equality, the gender wage gap continues to plague women and families across America.

Since the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, women have been arguing that pay equity and equal opportunity are a matter of simple fairness, that America’s daughters deserve the same rights, the same chances, and the same freedoms to pursue their dreams as America’s sons.

However, the wage gap is just as much a family issue as it is a women’s issue. Recent US Census Bureau statistics reveal that women are the primary breadwinner in over 60% of households.

Many women are being exploited–having to provide food, education, and support for their families while working a full time job and making only 77 cents for every one dollar a man makes. When women are not paid fairly, not only do they suffer, but so do their families.

Despite the current struggle these women are facing, federal and state legislation are gradually moving towards change.

On October 6, 2015, California took another step towards closing the persistent pay disparity. The California Fair Pay Act was introduced by Senator Hanna-Beth Jackson, and Governor Jerry Brown signed it into law, which went into effect on January 1, 2016.

The legislation eliminates a common loophole used by employers to avoid compensation for gender discrimination. It establishes the standard of equal pay for “substantially similar work” rather than “equal work” that was previously interpreted strictly by courts, making pay inequity lawsuits difficult.

Employees have previously been prohibited to discuss salary information, and often managers have threatened consequences in order to hide gender discrimination. The new law enables workers to discuss their incomes with their colleagues, without fear of retribution.

“This is a momentous day for California, and it is long overdue. Equal pay isn’t just the right thing for women, it’s the right thing for our economy and for California,” Jackson said in a statement. “Today, California leads the nation in showing how it can be done.”

Despite this milestone, women still continue to suffer due to a lack of legislation at the federal level.

A recent study by the National Partnership for Women & Families found that California women in particular earned an average of 85 cents on the dollar compared to men, costing female full-time workers approximately $33.6 billion annually.

Additionally, ethnic women suffer the most–Hispanic and Latina women were found to only earn 54% of what white males earn.

Proponents of California’s new law hope that it is a beacon of improvement to come.

At the federal level, Congress and the Senate are currently divided over the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill similar to the California Fair Pay Act. Without nationwide legislation however, the gender wage gap is far from complete resolution.

It has closed by only .3% each year, and Harvard economists calculated that, at the current rate, women won’t receive equal pay until 2059.

According to this statistic, women would be subjugated for 43 more years. That is 43 more years that women would continue to be paid less because of their gender, their marital status, their age, their appearance.

They’ll continue to lose millions in income and benefits and retirement while often also enduring sexist treatment–verbal, sexual, and physical harassment. Women will continue to carry this burden until a real solution is offered.

Closing this chasm requires more than a few women sharing their personal testimonies and more than a few politicians bickering over possible implications.

The wage gap is an issue of human morality and compassion, and its solution requires not ignorance or apathy, but a cohesive effort of American people fighting against discrimination.