Equal Pay Day: Let’s talk about the gender pay gap
Equal Pay Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness about the gender pay gap that persists in the United States. Women, on average, earn just 83 cents for every dollar earned by men—and though this differs based on race, location, and industry, the trend has significant implications in the workplace.
At Empower Work, we hear first-hand from workers struggling with unequal pay. Being paid unfairly doesn’t just affect someone’s finances in the short term—it can also add up to staggering sums in the long term. Women, and especially women of color, can lose out on tens of thousands of dollars each year and hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.
The impact of unfair pay can also be an emotional one. One worker, when asked about what being valued at work looks like to her, responded:
"[Being] paid equally compared to my white male co-workers."
We all want to feel valued and be treated fairly at work, and addressing the gender wage gap is one place to start.
What is Equal Pay Day?
Equal Pay Day was first organized by the National Committee on Pay Equity to raise awareness about the gender wage gap: it symbolizes how far into the year the average woman would have to work, just to earn what the average man earned the previous year.
When the Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963, women made just 59 cents on average compared to men. And though women, on average, now earn 83 cents for every dollar, the current rate of change means we won’t see full pay equality until 2111.
There’s more than one Equal Pay Day
As with any conversation about gender, it’s important to understand that women are not a monolith. There are many intersectionalities and different experiences of gender—based on identities of race, class, age, ability, parental status, gender identity, and more—reveal significant differences in trends around equal pay.
Though we recognize March 15 as the Equal Pay Day in 2022 for women on average, breaking the numbers down tells a more nuanced story.
It’s also important to note that the gender wage gap has historically been calculated based on full-time, year-round workers. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic pushing many women, especially women of color, into part-time or seasonal work, however, the Equal Pay Day coalition adopted a new, more inclusive methodology in 2022.
According to data from AAUW:
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women earn 75 cents for each dollar paid to white men, on average, and their Equal Pay Day is May 3 — meaning they would have to work a full calendar year, and continue working until May 3, to make what an average white man makes just in a calendar year.
Black women earn 58 cents for every dollar paid to white men, on average, and their Equal Pay Day is September 21.
Native American women earn 50 cents for every dollar paid to white men, on average, and their Equal Pay Day is December 1.
Latina women earn 49 cents for every dollar paid to white men, on average, and their Equal Pay Day is December 8.
These discrepancies exist along more than just lines of race. According to the National Women’s Law Center, mothers earn 75 cents for every dollar paid to fathers, and single moms bring in just 54 cents for every dollar earned by married men. The Human Rights Campaign found that trans women earn just 60 cents to the dollar compared to workers on average. And people with disabilities earn 64 cents to every dollar their colleagues make, according to the American Institutes for Research.
These trends vary by state and occupation, but they paint a stark picture. Women, and especially women with intersecting marginalized identities, face significant negative impacts due to the gender wage gap.
While this discrepancy may not seem huge in the short-term, it can add up to anywhere from $470,000 to $1.1 million in lost wages over the course of a lifetime.
Advocating for Equal Pay
When addressing the gender wage gap, it’s important to remember that no amount of individual action will transform systemic inequities. In other words, encouraging more women to negotiate may be part of the solution, but addressing the institutional norms and implicit biases that perpetuate this inequality is just as important—if not more so.
Addressing Structural Inequities
If your role at work includes the ability to make decisions or recommendations about hiring, salary, promotions, or training, you may have the opportunity to address the gender wage gap systemically.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
Conduct a pay audit. Having a clear understanding of your organization’s current salaries will help you start to see any discrepancies. Just 26% of U.S. companies track salary differences between women of color and other groups in comparable roles—and if you can’t see the issue, you can’t meaningfully address it.
Train managers. Manager relationships often contribute to the gender pay gap, especially when it comes to giving reviews and promotions. Training on how bias can influence workplace decisions can help managers be more aware of their own implicit preferences, and also more fair.
Be transparent. Develop clear frameworks for calculating salaries and bonuses to ensure fairness across the board. Some companies have even eliminated salary negotiations altogether in an effort to reduce the gender wage gap.
Consider what’s within your control
If the realities of the gender wage gap feel overwhelming or insurmountable, just remember that systems don’t change overnight—and there are small, meaningful things you can do in your own life to make change. Whatever your situation, you get to choose how you show up.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
Negotiate! If you’re expecting a job offer, spend some time outlining what you want, considering what they want, and practicing with a friend so you feel prepared.
Find an ally at work. A coworker, supervisor, or someone from HR might help you strategize on how best to advocate for yourself—and others.
Give yourself grace. You can’t change unequal structures alone—and if for some reason you didn’t negotiate, don’t be too hard on yourself: One texter shared:
“I know I did a lousy job at my salary negotiation when I joined the company 2 years ago[...] I was in a rush to escape a toxic working environment. So I took what I could get without much negotiation. That being said, I want to fix it.’
Reach out for support. You don’t have to navigate this all alone. Even if you’ve already started a new job, it’s not too late to negotiate.
If you’re ready to take steps to make your workplace more fair, or if you’re looking for support through a negotiation or challenges feeling valued at work, free and confidential support is just a text away: 510-674-1414.
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Note: Empower Work provides non-legal support for workplace challenges. This information, while authoritative, is not legal advice or guaranteed for legality. Employment laws and regulations vary by state. We recommend legal assistance or consulting with state resources for specific interpretation and decisions.
