By Patsy Campos
The purpose of Equal Pay Day on April 12th is to bring national awareness about the pay gap between men and women. Today’s date symbolizes the amount of work women have to do in 2011 in order to make the same pay as men in 2010. The average pay gap is not getting close enough. Women make $0.79 cents out of every dollar men make. The amount of education and experience are factors that can hinder a woman from making equal pay as men. According to the National Organization for Women (NOW), “even men working in female-dominated occupations tend to earn more than women working in those same occupations.” Despite this, there are still critics who think women should make less because of women’s family obligations while the opposite holds true for men.
There will be an Equal Pay Day table today, April 12th, from 11 am – 1 pm in Royall Hall. The table is sponsored by UMKC Women’s Center and UMKC Career Services. There will be information available about Equal Pay Day and about women in careers. There will also be an employer from Commerce Bank offering an employer’s perspective on pay issues and how women should approach negotiating pay. Join us today to spread the word about Equal Pay Day and find out ways to close the gender pay gap because income equity makes good cents!
For more information, contact the Women’s Center at umkc-womens-center@umkc.edu or 816.235.1638.