3 days ago, April 12, 2016 – the non-holiday “Equal Pay Day” was commemorated with protests, twitter storms and sassy 21% off discounts to compensate for the fact that on average, women make $0.79 for every dollar men make. Minority women have a significantly higher pay gap, so if you are Latina, your Equal Pay Day isn’t until Nov. 1. African American women have to work to August 23. Even moms have a motherhood penalty when it comes to the pay gap.
Just before April 12, two giant tech companies disclosed that they pay their male and female employees equally. Facebook and Microsoft are above 9 major tech companies that have faced pressure to release their salary data. Attention has been on the tech industry to become more transparent about the gender pay gap due to its diversity problem. The industry has been making a public effort to include more women and minorities in its workforce.
On Monday, April 11, 2016, President Barack Obama officially proclaimed April 12, 2016, as National Equal Pay Day and announced a new national monument in Washington, D.C. to honor the movement for women’s equality. Since taking office, President Obama has made equal pay a top priority. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, The National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, and an Equal Pay Executive Order are all steps that the President has taken to equalize pay between men and women.
“When all people know their country is invested in their success, we are all better off. Together we must rid our society of the injustice that is pay discrimination and restore the promise that is the right of every American: the idea that with hard work, anyone can reach for their dreams and know no limits but the scope of their aspirations.” President Obama