Earlier this year, the Maine Legislature passed a historic bill that brings us closer to making sure men and women get equal pay for equal work. It was sponsored by Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, and signed into law by Maine’s first woman governor, Janet Mills. Sen. Matt Pouliot, R-Augusta, voted against it. Now, he’s being held accountable for his vote, and he doesn’t like it (“Sen. Matt Pouliot: Women are thriving in Maine’s economy,” column, Nov. 9).

According to Sen. Pouliot, women are thriving and Sen. Breen’s measure is just a “flash in the pan” legislation. As a resident of Augusta, I’m disappointed in Sen. Pouliot. It’s clear he is out of touch with the district, and he doesn’t understand how his constituents suffer when there isn’t equal pay for equal work.

Sen. Pouliot’s column denies the reality of many women living in central Maine. Maine women working full time, year-round earn, on average, $8,858 less annually than men. That’s more than a year’s worth of rent or about a year’s worth of monthly mortgage payments in Kennebec County. There is no reason to expect that the average income loss for women in Kennebec County is any different than the rest of the state. In fact, other data highlights the challenging situations Kennebec women and families are facing.

Almost one in 10 Kennebec County families live below the poverty line, which means earning $25,750 or less for a family of four. Kennebec County has the highest rate of child homelessness in the state, and one in five children in Kennebec County are experiencing food insecurity. I bet an extra $8,858 in lost wages would make a big difference for our families, friends and neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet.

This new law makes it so employers can’t use prior salary as a factor for determining a new salary. Before this law, it was common for pay to be based on what a woman made in their prior job rather than on skills or required qualifications needed for the job. Oftentimes, pay discrimination would follow them indefinitely from job to job.

Sen. Pouliot may think this doesn’t happen because it has never happened to him. But I know wage discrimination takes place because it has happened to me. It has happened to women in my family, my colleagues and my friends. For all of us, this new law marks a step in the right direction.

When Sen. Pouliot and the Maine Senate Republicans deny the very existence of pay discrimination, it indicates a severe disconnect from women in Senate District 15 and across the state. Women are living in a world where our experience with pay discrimination is ignored or belittled. If we speak out against these practices, we risk retaliation and even losing our jobs and livelihood. That doesn’t just have an impact on women and families, but the entire state’s economy.

By voting against this bill, Republicans are silencing the voices of women and dismissing the hardships we face daily. By defending this vote publicly, they are saying that women are lying or exaggerating our experience. The goal is to convince us that the pay gap is minor and it doesn’t impact our lives, when we know from data and personal experience that it does.

Let’s be clear: this bill was going to pass without Sen. Pouliot’s support. In fact, it had been vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage the year prior, so the Legislature was familiar with it. He had nothing to gain from voting against supporting women’s economic stability except for his own political upward mobility in the Republican Party, which overwhelmingly voted against bills intended to support the well-being of women and families.

Not all Maine women are thriving, and Sen. Pouliot’s justification for voting against equal pay for equal work falls hollow on the ears of women in his district and across Maine. We deserve a better advocate in Augusta. We deserve someone who will work for women and families, not against them.

Kalie Hess is a resident of Augusta.