Women’s rights have come a long way since 1963, and continue to grow every day. More and more women are joining the fight to be in high level positions, get equal pay, and stop the inequality inside and out of the workplace.

So, why is Women’s History Month so important? Women’s History Month celebrates the contributions of women. Furthermore, this is the beginning of the equal pay day cycle – every year the topic of equal pay day raises awareness to those who don’t know about it.

What is equal pay day?

Women’s Equal Pay Day, on March 24, is a day that recognizes the Equal Pay Act – one of the first laws that fought against gender discrimination. And while women have gained so much since 1963, there is still much work to be done to reach full equality. After over 50 years, American women still face gender wage gaps across all industries.That’s why during Women’s History Month, we can’t let the topic of Equal Pay go unspoken of. The day of March 24 symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Yes, that means in 2021 it takes women 15 months to make the same as a man earned in the previous year.

However, the pay gap differs even among women. Intersectionality of women causes a greater gap if you’re Black, Latinx or Indigenous woman. Women who are mothers also have a pay gap too.

2021 Equal Pay Days

Notes: The amounts indicate women earn for every $1 paid to white men. The dates indicate how many more months in addition it takes for a woman to earn what a white man did in 12 months i.e. it takes Asian American women 1 year, 2 months & 9 days to earn what a white man earned in 2020.

• Asian American and Pacific Islander Women: March 9. Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid 85 cents.
• All Women’s Equal Pay Day: March 24. Women working full time and year round are paid 82 cents.
• Mother’s Equal Pay Day: June 4. Mothers are paid 70 cents for every dollar paid to fathers.
• Black Women’s Equal Pay Day: August 3. Black women are paid 63.
• Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day: September 8. Native women are paid 60 cents.
• Latina’s Equal Pay Day: October 21. Latinas are paid 55 cents.

Why should we care?

In the 21st century, the number of women in the workplace have increased significantly. However, compared to men, women are working longer hours and pursuing higher education but still not receiving nearly as much as a white male counterpart. Black, Latina, and Indigenous women are impacted the most.

Today, over 30% of women do not believe the Gender Pay Gap exists. Foreseeably, an overwhelming amount of men don’t believe it either. The longer that the gender pay gap exists, the longer women have to go without what they deserve.

That has to stop. If you’re on the fence about equal pay and why it matters, here are some facts on equal pay day that will have you on board with the movement:

• The median salary for men is roughly 24% higher than the median salary for women.
• Men are 85% more likely than women t one Vice Presidents or C-Suite Executives by mid-career, and 171% more likely to hold those positions late in their career.
• Corporate America promotes men at 30% higher rates than women during their early career stages, and entry-level women are significantly more likely than men to have spent 5 or more years in the same role
• The industry with the largest uncontrolled gender pay gap is Finance and Insurance, in which the typical woman’s salary is roughly 29% less than that of the typical man’s salary.
• If employees believe their employer is taking no action to address gender inequality, 71% of women and 74% of men plan to find a new job within 6 months.
• At the current rate, the American Association of University Women predicts we’ll achieve pay equity and close the uncontrolled gender pay gay by the year 2152.
• The state with the smallest uncontrolled gender pay gap is Vermont. Still, even in the famously liberal Green Mountain State, women still make 15% less than men.
• Women who negotiate for a promotion or compensation increase are 30% more likely than men who negotiate to receive feedback that they are”bossy”, “too aggressive,” or intimidating”
• When asked if they thought their gender had influenced whether they had been passed over for a raise or promotion, more than 18% of women answered in the affirmative; only 3% of men believed they had been denied a raise because of their gender.
• Women represent just 21% of the S & P 500 board of directors and only 6% of S&P 500 CEO’s.
• While progress has been made to close the Pay Gap, there is still much to be done. What do you think should be done to close the pay gap for all women?

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/04/46percent-of-american-men-think-the-gender-pay-gap-is-made-up.html

https://www.pay-equity.org/day.html

https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/simple-truth/