Equal Pay Day

Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996.

Tuesday was selected as the day to celebrate as it is representative of how far into the work week women must work to earn what men earned the previous week. Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. The wage gap is greater for most women of color.

The wage gap exists, in part, because many women and people of color are still segregated into a few low-paying occupations. More than half of all women workers hold sales, clerical and service jobs. Studies show that the more an occupation is dominated by women or people of color, the less it pays. Part of the wage gap results from differences in education, experience or time in the workforce. But a significant portion cannot be explained by any of those factors; it is attributable to discrimination. In other words, certain jobs pay less because they are held by women and people of color.

Two laws currently work towards protecting workers against wage discrimination. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits unequal pay for equal or "substantially equal" work performed by men and women. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits wage discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion or national origin. In 1981, the Supreme Court made it clear that Title VII is broader than the Equal Pay Act, and prohibits wage discrimination even when the jobs are not identical. However, wage discrimination laws are poorly enforced and cases are extremely difficult to prove and win. Stronger legislation is needed to ease the burden of filing claims and clarify the right to pay equity.

How large is the wage gap?

2008 Median Annual Earnings
of Year-Round, Full-Time Workers

All Men All Women
$46,367 100% $35,745 77%

What can you do to help the effort? You can 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 to achieve fair pay. You can find a list by state and their addresses at the Office of the Clerk website.

Urge your senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.182). The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing, "Fair Share for All: Pay Equity in the New American Workplace" on March 11, 2010, with testimony about the Paycheck Fairness Act; see www.womenspolicy.org.

If you need more information on how to resolve a personal situation involving unfair pay, you can call:

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at 800-669-4000
• The Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) Advice and Counseling Hotline at 800-839-4372

To learn more visit http://www.pay-equity.org or the Fair Pay Campaign.