Today is Maine's Equal Pay day, but it will be tough to celebrate, say the state's advocates for women, who claim that under Maine’s Equal Pay Act, the wage gap is growing again.

The most recent data released by the American Community Survey pins women’s wages at an average of 75% compared to men’s wages (or 75 cents for every dollar made by a man). The gap is even wider for Hispanic and African-American women.

“If the wage gap continues to persist at this level, young women soon to enter the workforce will see the loss of between $500,000 and $2 million over the course of their lifetime,” announced Karen Keim, board chair of Girl Scouts of Maine.

Equal Pay Day symbolizes how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. In Maine, Equal Pay Day is recognized the first Tuesday of every April.