Equal Pay Day

Equal Pay Day is April 28, 2009

On Tuesday, April 28, 2009 thousands of women from across the United States will join in a national day of action against unfair pay practices, Equal Pay Day. April 28 is the numeric day in the new year that a woman, on average, must work through in order to earn the same wages that a man was paid in the previous year. Red is worn on this day as a symbol of how far women and minorities are "in the red" with their pay because of pay discrimination.  Women working full-time, year-round are paid only about 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Because women earn less, they must work longer for the same dollars earned.

Even though laws such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 protect workers from wage discrimination, the pay gap still exists. Wage discrimination laws are poorly enforced, and cases are difficult to prove and win. 

Ledbetter Act will protect victims of Pay Discrimination. On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed the historic Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, making it the first legislation of his administration. The Act reverses the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in 2007 (Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.) and restores the ability of victims of wage discrimination to hold their employers accountable for injustice and challenge the practice in court. Lilly Ledbetter was with the President when he signed the bill. (Watch a video of the signing)

As an organization that is committed to empowering women, the YWCA USA and local associations—including YWCA Clark County—are working to raise awareness in our community about the wage gap that exists between women and men. The YWCA Clark County’s Public Policy Committee has chosen women’s economic justice as one of its top priority issues. Our board of directors approved a public policy statement on this issue. This is the second year the Women’s Economic Justice work group has led the agency’s advocacy work on this issue, spotlighting this specific form of discrimination.

On Equal Pay Day, here are some facts that you can share to help raise awareness about this issue:

The wage gap isn’t just a woman’s issue. Equal pay for women raises family income which means more money to spend on groceries, housing and child care. According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, nationwide, working families lose $200 billion on income annually to the wage gap. Lower wages also mean less income from pensions and Social Security, making women more likely than men to enter poverty at an old age.

The wage gap harms most women of color. According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, for women of color, the numbers are even worse — African-American women earn 69 cents and Latinas earn 59 cents for every dollar paid to men.

Pay inequity happens at all levels of employment. Today, women make up a majority of college students; however, the wage gap still exists. According to the American Association of University Women, in 2004, a typical college-educated woman working full-time earned $31,223 a year, compared to $40,798 for a college-educated man – a stark difference of $9,575.

Washington state ranks 38th in the equal pay comparison of states, according to the AFL-CIO Public Policy Department, with Washington women earning 75.6% of their male counterparts' pay. We are proud to share that our organization, which has a predominantly female workforce, acknowledged the importance of compensating our employees in a way that models our own values of equity and empowerment by establishing a goal to increase wages and benefits.

Click here to join us in support of equal pay for women

Click here to read YWCA USA's statement on equal pay 

Resources

National Committee on Pay Equity

Congress Must Act to Close the Wage Gap for Women, National Women’s Law Center, November 2008

National Women’s Law Center

Behind the Pay Gap, American Association of University Women, April 2007

Gaps in Learning, Gaps in Earning, American Association of University Women on the pay gap among college-educated women and men, state by state, 2008

Women's Economic Status in the States: Wide Disparities by Race, Ethnicity, and Region, Institute for Women's Policy Research

Women’s Earnings: Work Patterns Partially Explain Difference between Men’s and Women’s Earnings, General Accounting Office, October 2003