by Logan Snook
April 12th is Equal Pay Day. What is the importance of this day? And why is it needed?
Equal Pay Day originated in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity. This day was meant to shed light on the gap between men’s and women’s wages. This year in the U.S., Equal Pay Day is being celebrated on April 12th, to signify how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year (National Committee on Pay Equity). Not only was the date chosen to symbolize the pay gap, but the physical day of the week which the event falls – Tuesday – also represents how far into the next work week women must work to earn the same as men did in the previous week. On average in the U.S., statistics show white women making between 75-80% of what white men earn, and this figure drops even further for women of color. It is estimated that women will not receive equal pay to men until the year 2059. 2059!
How does this affect us today?
- In the U.S., mothers are primary breadwinners in more than 40% of families, and married mothers are the primary or co-breadwinners in more than half of families. (Pew Research Center)
- In general, women working full-time earn 79¢ for every dollar paid to men. (CBS News)
- Female surgeons and physicians make 69.1% and female dentists are paid 67.8% compared to men. (CBS News)
- Waitresses make up 64.3% of people working wait jobs, but they earn 18% less than their male counterparts. (CBS News)
The gender pay gap is not just a problem being addressed in the U.S. On March 8th, International Women’s Day, the gender pay gap was highlighted across the globe, where groups campaigned for world-wide pay equity. Across the world, women are seeing dramatic gaps between their pay compared to their male coworkers
- In the United Kingdom, women earn £300,000 less than men over a lifetime of working. That comes out to a 24% gap in annual salaries. (The Guardian, 2016)
- In Germany, women earn 21.6 percent less than men, making them the country with the 3rd largest pay gap in Europe. (DW News, 2016)
- The estimated gender pay gap in South Africa is, on average, between 15%-17%. (The Conversation, 2015)
- The gender pay gap in Norway is currently at 6.3% – on of the lowest gaps globally (The Economist), and they employ 65% of its female population.
So…what can you do to help?
- Start small – in support of National Equal Pay Day on April 12th, wear red to symbolize how women and minorities pay is “in the red.”
- Join NCPE’s annual Equal Pay Day Campaign by visiting pay-equity.org.
- Start a WAGE club, where women can gather to discuss strategies to take action to address the wage gap in their workplaces.
- Contact your House Representative and Senators to tell them how important fair pay is to you! Also, ask them to co-sponsor the current bills in Congress that would help achieve equal pay.
What’s happening on campus on National Equal Pay Day?
Join us on April 12th from 9:00 – 11:00 AM in the Miller Nichols Library Lobby to learn about the pay inequalities women face. Trivia and prizes are available!
*This event is co-sponsored by the UMKC Women’s Center, American Association of University Women – Kansas City Branch, UMKC Career Services, and U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau.