ANDREA MITCHELL (HOST): Today is Equal Pay Day, marking the day that women catch up to earning the same salary as a man earns by the previous year's end. It takes women an extra three months and then some to close that gap. It takes even longer for some women. For moms, their equal pay day isn't until June 4th. African-American women have to work until August 23rd. For Native American women, that day is September 13th. And if you're Latina, it is not until November 1st, almost the end of the year. 

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MITCHELL: What do you hope to accomplish with your advocacy? 

PATRICIA ARQUETTE: Well, women have been fighting for equal rights for 227 years and at this point now, we've reached a breaking point. Because women are contributing to 40 percent of our American families. We have millions of women who are single mothers, and because they're not getting paid equally, we have one in five hungry kids in America and a majority of them have full-time working moms. So we need to make sure that women are paid and we can't keep looking -- the senator has worked with the Joint Economic Committee on this incredible report that we have out. But we can't keep ignoring the data year after year. There has to be concrete changes made. Women can't wait any longer. 

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ARQUETTE: We see this pay discrepancy between women and men in 98 percent of all industries. So it's impacting women across the board. And as the senator said, it costs the average woman almost a half million dollars over her lifetime, the gender pay gap. With women with higher education, it costs them $2 million over their lifetime. So it's an enormous impact. 

Previously: 

Myths & Facts: The Gender Pay Gap And Need For Equal Pay

On Equal Pay Day, Look Back At Right-Wing Media Attacks Against Celebrities Who Spoke Out About The Gender Pay Gap

How Fox News Dismisses The Gender Pay Gap