Should two people earn the same amount of money for the same job?
That probably seems like a silly question.
But did you know that if one of those people is a woman, she’ll probably get paid less?
That’s why Equal Pay Day is so important.
Equal Pay Day
In 1996, an organization called the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) established Equal Pay Day.
The day, held on April 14 this year, was created to raise public awareness of the gender pay gap: the average difference between pay for working men and women.
Gender pay gap
The gender pay gap creates major problems, such as higher poverty rates for women and their children, as well as less money and benefits during retirement.
The pay gap is a problem for all women—even highly educated ones.
Changing date
The date of Equal Pay Day changes every year. It’s based on how many extra months a woman needs to work into a new year before she’s earned as much as a man.
So, for example, the date April 14 shows that women had to work an extra 3.5 months to earn what a man had made by the end of 2019.
A closer look
In the United States, on average, women earn only 82% of what men do.
It gets even worse for women of colour. Some are paid as little as 54% of a white man’s salary.
Why is there a pay gap?
There are several explanations for the gap. Here are a few:
Motherhood penalty
The motherhood penalty means that mothers receive fewer job opportunities because they’re seen as more distracted and less committed. Data shows that an American woman makes about 4% less for each child she has.
Gendered jobs
In the United States, 15 of the 20 highest-paid jobs are dominated by men; 14 of the 20 lowest-paid ones are done primarily by women—especially women of color.
Fewer management positions
Historically, men have been hired more often than women for management positions, which are higher-paid.
Support change
Educate yourself on the pay gap issues in your country and start discussions with others. Change can happen!
Equal Pay Day Comprehension
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It’not thé same problem if you have a liberal profession for example my wife earns more than me and I am satisfied with it . We are lucky .
That’s great, Thierry!
It seems something simple. The text don’t look at others variations, for example, professional experience or academic, networking and at all.
Thanks for your feedback, Renan!
This topic has an ancient history. I long time ago, the woman’s work are stay at home, to give attention to the sons, the home and some agricultural jobs. Most part of the men at this time work out of the home. But now a day, the woman has a completely different paper in the society and that is the justification for equality in job payment.
Thanks for your feedback, Rui!
My wife and I joined the french army on the same time and to apply for the same job. We didn’t see a difference on our pay.
I hope it’ll be the same thing for every jobs everywhere around the world !🙏🏻
Thanks for sharing, Kenny!
I thnk things have changed now, womens are being paid equally what their men collegues are getting, though there are still some fields whare womens are getting lesser salary than their mens collegues.
Thanks for your feedback, Rihan!