( CNN ) -- It took more than 20 years to get an answer for the injustices I suffered as an unfairly paid worker , so I know what it 's like to wait . But the six seconds of silence from Mitt Romney 's campaign recently seemed like forever . Romney 's advisers held a conference call inviting reporters to ask questions . One was simple and straightforward : `` Does Gov . Romney support the Lilly Ledbetter Act ? '' In other words , when a woman is paid less than a man for doing the same work , does the presumptive Republican nominee support her right to fight for the equal pay she 's guaranteed under the law ? That 's exactly what the bill that bears my name ensures -- it simply gives workers a fair shot to make their case in court . It 's not a hypothetical question . Women get paid just 77 cents for every dollar a man gets . That means a woman would have had to work from January 1 , 2011 , until this Tuesday to match what men earned in 2011 alone . Romney 's team has certainly had enough time to think about its candidate 's positions -- he 's been running for president for six years -- and about the law in question , which was the very first one that Barack Obama signed as president more than three years ago . But Romney 's team drew a blank . The line went silent . Crickets . When an adviser finally piped up , it was n't to answer the question . It was to tell the reporter , `` We 'll get back to you on that . '' The Republican nominee for president does n't know whether he supports the principle of equal pay for an equal day 's work ? He needs some time to think about it ? What an insult . Romney then went on national television , where Diane Sawyer asked him if he would have signed the bill into law . He still would n't give a straight answer , saying that he had no `` intention of changing that law . '' In other words , he ducked the question . For all we know , had the Ledbetter bill crossed Romney 's desk instead of President Obama 's , Romney would have vetoed womens ' right to fight back . And if a future Republican Congress tries to repeal the Ledbetter law , we do n't know whether Romney would let it . If the Paycheck Fairness Act , which goes even further to outlaw gender discrimination in the workplace , reached his desk , we do n't know whether he would stop it . While Romney decides whether he opposes gender discrimination , here is an important reality he should consider : This is n't just about women . It 's about all families and their economic security . The consequences of unequal pay reach far beyond the paychecks women take home every week . My pension and Social Security were based on an unfair salary , so over the course of my career , I was cheated out of hundreds of thousands of dollars that could have gone to my kids ' education or my family 's medical bills or to support the shops and small businesses in my community . I also worked countless hours of overtime , but the extra pay I earned was based on the same uneven scale . The question Romney 's campaign could n't answer is a question of fairness and whether American workers have a level playing field on which everyone has the same opportunity to get ahead . I know Obama believes in those values . As the grandson of a woman who worked in a bank long after she hit the glass ceiling -- and who was paid less than the men she trained -- he believes equal pay is an essential right . As the father of two girls , he cares deeply about making sure the work force they 'll join one day is n't slanted against them . But I have no idea where Romney stands -- and from the sound of it , neither do those closest to him . What we do know about whom and what Romney supports is even more unsettling than his silence on this issue . Wisconsin Gov . Scott Walker recently took away citizens ' rights to fight workplace discrimination . Romney called him a `` hero '' and a `` man of courage . '' He 'd also repeal Obama 's health reforms and bring back the discriminatory days when being a woman was considered a pre-existing condition , which means insurance companies could charge us more than men for the same coverage or deny it to us altogether . When combined with pay inequality , Romney 's promises would mean women would earn less income and then be forced to pay more for basic health care . That 's devastating for our families and the economic security of the middle class . Anyone who wants to be president of the United States should n't have to think about whether hardworking , responsible middle-class families deserve the opportunity to succeed . We know all too well what it 's like to hear silence when we fight for fairness -- and we 've heard enough . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Lilly Ledbetter .
George Bush 's campaign drew a blank when asked if it supports the Lilly Ledbetter Amendment . Lilly Ledbetter : It 's insulting that Romney would n't give a straight answer on whether he would sign the law . She says pay equality is not just about equality , it 's about economic security for all Americans . Ledbetter : Romney 's positions would mean that women would suffer economic setbacks .