Applying for jobs is one of the most soul crushing things workers have to do in our service economy. But two Democratic state lawmakers are backing legislation to make the work of looking for employment more fair.
State Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon) and state Del. Michelle Lopes Maldonado (D–Manassas) plan to file legislation requiring employers to post salary ranges in their job listings and preventing them from asking applicants about their salary histories.
If the lawmakers’ push is successful, applicants could volunteer their salary histories, but could not be required to share what they’ve made at other jobs.
That matters because we often get paid based on what we’ve made at previous jobs and because the data shows that despite it being illegal, wage discrimination is rampant.
Women in the US with year-round full-time jobs on average make about 80 cents for every dollar paid to men—a pay gap that amounts to $11,550 less per year in median earnings, according to a February 2025 National Women’s Law Center report.
For Black women, the pay gap is even worse: they make 65 cents for every dollar white, non-hispanic men make, according to the advocacy organization Equal Rights Advocates.
The proposed changes to Virginia law aim to bring more transparency to the application process and help job seekers avoid wasting time applying for jobs that won’t pay them enough.
The goal is also to prevent businesses from taking advantage of people who have been historically underpaid by hiring them for less than is fair.
“(Women are) coming from lower salaries already, and so they carry that into the next position,” said Vasu Reddy, director of state policy for workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center. “They also tend to be viewed more negatively for negotiating their salaries compared to men and will be perceived as pushy or ungrateful or things like that that would hurt their chances.”
