Equal Pay Day: The Wage Gap in 2024
In 1944, Winifred Stanley, a congresswoman from New York and a champion of women’s rights, proposed the first equal pay for equal work bill. It didn’t pass, and another bill wasn’t signed into law until 1963 by John F. Kennedy. More than 60 years later, the conversation continues about the wage gap, the disparity that exists between men and women performing the same roles. In 2024, women working full-time in the US will be paid 84% of what men earn. At the snail’s pace we’re witnessing, we won’t achieve pay equity until 2088.
According to pay-equity.org, "the equal pay date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year." In 2022, the American Association of University Women Coalition changed the methodology to calculate the date. Past methods of calculating the wage gap have historically fallen short of accurately capturing the complete picture of women in the workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic affected women, especially women of color, by pushing them into part-time or seasonal work or out of the workforce altogether. With the new inclusive methodology, we can advocate for all women in the workforce.
Equal Pay Day in 2024 is on March 12th; however, the Equal Pay Day Calendar now includes women who work part-time or seasonally. The dates on the calendar represent the additional time per year it would take for that group of women to reach the same pay as males in their same roles. The goal is to present a more accurate picture of how the pay gap impacts diverse communities.
| Pay Gap | Equal Pay Day |
White Women | 0.84 | March 12th |
Black Women | 0.66 | July 9th |
Moms | 0.62 | August 7th |
LGBTQIA+ | Not enough data | June 13th |
Asian American, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander women | 0.61 | April 3rd |
Latina Women | 0.52 | October 3rd |
Native Women | 0.55 | November 21st |
While there have been efforts to address the wage gap, such as legislation promoting pay transparency and equity, corporate initiatives to close the gap, research, and data collection to understand the issue better, progress has been slow. Organizations must do their part; pay transparency and compensation studies are ways in which they can take matters into their own hands. Taking a critical look at job descriptions, not the employees in the role, and how pay correlates to them will help make organizations ensure that they are contributing to equal pay for equal work. Making sure that an established salary budget is in place before recruiting for a role and training interviewers not to ask about past compensation will help promote a culture of equity.
By advocating for pay equity, nonprofits promote inclusivity and empowerment and contribute to building a more equitable society where everyone's contributions are valued equally. It's essential for organizations to champion these efforts within their operations and as part of their broader mission to create positive change in the world.