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Equal Pay

Source: Contra Costa Times / Getty Images

NATIONAL EQUAL PAY DAY

Each year on a Tuesday in March or April, National Equal Pay Day brings awareness to pay discrepancies between women and men around the world for the same work. Tuesday represents how far into the work week a woman works to earn as much a man doing the same job.

While the observance is only a couple of decades old, the fight for equal pay has been going on for nearly a century. Early in the 20th century, women in the United States and around the world began taking a stand for fair pay and better working conditions, voting rights, and legal rights. Since that time, women have made great strides toward equal pay, but there is still work to be done.

In 2018, employers continued to fail to pay equally skilled women the same amount of pay they were paying their male counterparts. While education gave women an edge, they still were paid 88% of what their male equivalents. In positions that didn’t require analytical skills, the gap increased to 83%.  (Pew Research, January 20, 2020)

More women are in the workplace, too. They also hold more skilled positions. With the demand for skilled workers increasing, women’s hourly wages are growing faster than men. However, despite that, the gap remains. (Pew Research January 30, 2020)

HOW TO OBSERVE #EqualPayDay

How can you take part in Equal Pay Day? As an employer, review your pay policies with a critical eye. Look to organizations who’ve made an effort to re-align their salaries and hiring practices. Wear red representing how much longer women have to work to make the same as a man and use #EqualPayDay to share on social media.

NATIONAL EQUAL PAY DAY HISTORY

Equal Pay Day first started in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity to bring awareness to demonstrate wage inequities between men and women. For more information, visit www.pay-equity.org.

source:  National Day Calendar