By: Leigh Andrews

It was ‘equal pay day’ in the US on 10 April. That’s how far into 2018 a woman had to work to earn what a man earned in 2017. Here’s how to stand up for your rights to equal pay for equal work.

In my first #FairnessFirst column, I reported that the first work week of 2018 was one where we heard the global female voice loud and clear on social media with ‘celebration emojis’ for Iceland.

 

If that’s too far back for you to remember, it became the first country in the world to fully enact an equal pay law on the first day of the year, 1 January. The importance of the date will become clear soon. That’s why it’s recognised by the World Economic Forum as the global leader on reducing gender inequality.

 

 

Now we’re into the second quarter of the year and many took note of ‘gender equality pay day’ last week.

 

Career Contessa pointed out on Cupcakes and Cashmere that it’s by no means a holiday or milestone worthy of celebration but instead about creating dialogue around the harsh realities:

 

It illustrates how far into 2018 a woman had to work to earn what a man earned in 2017.

 

That’s based on 2016 US Census data.

Spencer Rascoff explains on Inc that the date changes based on subgroups and ethnicities: so for all women, it’s 10 April; for moms compared to dads, it’s 30 May. Breaking the data down further by race only pushes out the date further.

 

EqualPayDay.org has done so by demographic in detail, and is working for the day when Equal Pay Day lands on 31 December of the same year—for all women.

 

Some of the world’s strongest female voices added their sentiments on social media:

Wording for working women?

 

Rascoff adds on Inc that you can further gender equality at work by paying careful attention to the wording used in job ads.

 

“Men statistically apply more often when you write ‘you will manage a team’ in a job post, and women are more likely to apply when you put ‘you will develop a team.’ However, if you say ‘you will lead a team’, you attract both genders”.

 

Fascinating. Rascoff says to keep positive though, because while the pay gap definitely exists, Pew Research shows it is narrowing, particularly in younger generations, and a combination of awareness, policies and the changing fabric of corporate culture will hopefully bring things back into balance.

 

Source: http://www.bizcommunity.com