On Equal Pay Day, how to actually achieve parity
I remember my first real job post-graduation. I remember the multiple interviews I went on, the hours spent at job fairs, the many versions of my resume and cover letter.
When I finally was hired for my first job at a small marketing firm, I remember the excitement of being able to get my career started, of being able to tell my family, friends and mentors. As I entered the workforce, the one thing that didn’t come into conversation is understanding the importance of salary negotiation and fighting for equal pay.
This is why a big portion of my career has been dedicated to fighting for equal pay and talking to young women about salary negotiation; Equal Pay Day is a great opportunity to do just that.
Equal Pay Day marks the day each year when the average American woman’s salary finally catches up to the average salary a man earned during the previous year. Let me be clear: we recognize — we do not celebrate — this day March 14 to illustrate the fact that U.S. women earned an average of 82% what men earned the year prior. That figure has barely budged over the last two decades.
The National Partnership for Women and Families calculates the wage gap for each state and estimates the difference in annual median earnings between Pennsylvania women and men is a little over $14,000. That has a real impact on women’s ability to pay for health care, child care, student loans and more.
The gender pay gap for women of color is even worse. In 2022, Black women earned, on average, 70 cents for every dollar earned by white men. That pushes our Equal Pay Day to July 27, and for Latinas, they’re working well into the fall to catch up with white men’s earnings from the previous year.
What’s going on here? Why do we still see such huge disparities, especially for women of color, even as women have become the majority of the college-educated workforce in the United States?
There are multiple factors, so let’s start with some main points. Women are nearly half of the workforce and breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of families, and yet workforce policies have not kept pace. Paid sick days and paid family leave policies, particularly for new parents and family caregivers, are often not available, hitting low-wage workers the hardest. The lack of supportive policies for working families harms women who continue to bear the responsibility for the health and well-being of children and the elders in their families. To close the wage gap, workplaces need to be more supportive of working women’s responsibilities
Many studies have found that fathers tend to earn more than women and men without children. In contrast, women earn less when they have children. A new study by the Pew Research Center revealed the “fatherhood wage premium” — the increase in men’s pay when they become parents — is the main driver of the gender pay gap.
It’s highly unlikely that workplaces have policies in writing to award “baby bonuses” to their male employees, so the issue here is cultural and societal. That doesn’t mean we can’t address this problem through policy changes; we just need to think more broadly about the policies that are necessary.
Expanding access to affordable child care is essential. Under the Shapiro-Davis administration, the budget proposes an increase of $30 million for the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program to better support the workforce, offsetting rising costs and providing quality pre-kindergarten resources and opportunities.
Providing maternity and paternity leave — and encouraging fathers to take it — would also help equalize the burden of parenting between men and women in the workforce.
I also want to encourage women to do what I did not when they are pursuing their first job; research and negotiate! There is a book by Linda Babcock, “Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation — and Positive Strategies for Change,” which notes that while women are great at negotiating, they rarely do it on behalf of themselves.
Finally, as the governor noted in his budget address, “All workers should have the right to organize and bargain collectively.” A significant benefit of collective action is that women in unions have a narrower wage gap than nonunion women. Union women are also more empowered in their workplaces and may have protection when it comes to negotiating salary, benefits, raises, and promotions.
Beyond today, I encourage everyone to speak out about equal pay. Attend a rally, talk to your local elected officials, and talk to the younger generation about the importance of negotiating their salary. If we want Pennsylvania to thrive, we must ensure that women thrive by supporting and paying them fairly.