New Jersey's gender pay gap

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Women of color make 60 cents for every dollar white men earn in New Jersey. That is the second widest wage gap in the nation. So, what is being done to combat this?

It is almost hard to believe that in the year 2016 women across the country still make significantly less than men.

African American women are paid 58 cents and Latinas 43 cents to every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, according to the research done by the National Partnership for Women and Families.

The annual gap in New Jersey averages nearly $12,000. To break that down, if the annual wage gap was eliminated on average a working woman would have enough money to have 90 more weeks of food and nearly 10 more months for rent.

The wage gap can also be seen between married couples. Mothers employed fulltime are paid 71 cents for every dollar paid to fathers, according to 2013 data.

In May, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill barring gender-based pay discrimination, saying he supported equal pay protection but that the bill would "go beyond federal standards and make New Jersey very business unfriendly."