Equal Pay

Equal Pay Day April 2, 2019

This is the date by which a woman’s annual salary in 2019 catches up to a man’s.

American women lose out on a staggering $500 billion each year because of the gender pay gap. But the latest government data show that progress toward narrowing that gap has stalled: Women working full time are still paid, on average, only 80 cents for every dollar paid to a man—a figure that has changed by less than a nickel during the 21st century. AAUW has launched a multipronged initiative with the bold goal of closing that gap by 2030.

This link is the latest research from National with the facts about pay gap: simple-truth-one-pager

For more information review the full booklet:  The_Simple_Truth about the Gender Pay Gap, full booklet, fall 2018.

The Gender Pay Gap by State

Every U.S. state has a gender pay gap, and some are wider than others. See how your state’s gender pay gap stacks up. Share this inforEPD-state-map-shareablemation with state and federal legislators as a call to action for stronger laws and use it to educate folks in your community about the gender pay gap.

Image Caption and ALT Text: EPD state map shareable.

Interactive infographic: To embed on your own websites, visit https://infogram.com/1p5e3k03y7nqnxup79dwm7edvyh3ywz27q9 and click the share button for appropriate code.

State Resources: A state press release, a graphic for embedding on your site and sharing on social media, and a road map to equal pay legislation in your state are available at https://www.aauw.org/resource/gender-pay-gap-by-state-and-congressional-district/.

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Pay Gap Facts

  • On average, women who work full-time earn about 78 cents for every dollar a full-time male worker earns.
  • The pay gap persists across all racial and ethnic groups, and it is found in every state.
  • The wage gap was largest for Hispanic and Latina women, who were paid only 54 percent of what white men were paid in 2013.
  • The pay gap is a family issue. 40% of households with children include a mother who is either the sole or primary earner for her family.
  • Education does not close the gap. Women with multiple degrees, as well as those working in business, finance, and management, experience the greatest gap, which is on average 22%.
  • Over a lifetime of work (47 years), the total estimated loss of earnings of women compared with men is $700,000 for a high school graduate, $1.2 million for a college graduate, and $2 million for a professional school graduate.
  • In Tennessee more than half of all women participate in the labor force. Six out of 10 families include both parents working, and 7 out of 10 female-headed households include women working according to national data. Today, most women we know work and take care of their families at the same time. Their income is important to the economic well-being of their families and the community.
  • Every generation of women that has entered the workforce experiences the pay gap. The gap is larger in occupations requiring advanced degrees—law, finance, and management, for example. Even women graduating from college and entering the workforce for the first time experience a 7% wage gap on average. Today, women in Tennessee earn 82 cents on the dollar to men on average. The pay gap is much larger for African American and Latina women, who respectively earn 63 cents and 56 cents on the dollar.

Median Earnings in Tennessee
Men $41,493
Women $34,301

Close the Gap
Support Federal Legislation!

Paycheck Fairness Act: The PFA would improve the scope of the Equal Pay Act, which hasn’t been updated since 1963, with stronger incentives for employers to follow the law and prohibit retaliation against workers asking about wage practices.

https://www.aauw.org/fairpay/
AAUW https://www.aauw.org/
National Committee on Pay Equity
http://www.pay-equity.org/

AAUW (American Association of University Women) has been empowering women as individuals and as a community since 1881. For more than 130 years, we have worked together as a national grassroots organization to improve the lives of millions of women and their families.

Many of the AAUW Branches in Tennessee plan activities to bring attention to the importance of the day. For ideas on activities and events go to: https://www.aauw.org/resource/how-to-equal-pay-day/

INFORMATION ABOUT EQUAL PAY ISSUES

More information about equal pay issues can be found at:

https://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/

http://www.nwlc.org/our-issues/employment/equal-pay-and-the-wage-gap