Tuesday, April 2, is observed as Equal Pay Day across the nation. That is the point when women’s wages finally catch up to men’s wages from last year.

The latest wage numbers from the US Department of Labor (2017) show that the gender wage gap has remained statistically unchanged in this century. Women’s earnings were 80 percent of men’s, and have been hanging around that mark since 2000. When the Equal Pay Act was enacted in 1963, women were making 59 cents for every dollar a man earned. Improvement in narrowing that gap has steadily improved until this century, but has been stagnant for over 15 years.

What does this mean for women? It means that regardless of education, race, age, occupation, or work experience, women are being cheated. For women of color, the statistics are even more grim. These pennies add up into thousands of dollars over the course of a career. And it doesn’t stop there; because women make less, their retirement funds also are shortchanged. This inequity affects families — women are now the breadwinners or co-breadwinners in two-thirds of all American families.

If you see women wearing a red purse sticker or carrying a red purse, they are drawing attention to this inequity. Heritage Business and Professional Women are proud to be a part of this group. If you would like to know more about pay inequity or BPW, please call (859) 749-2247.

Brenda Baker
President, Heritage Business and Professional Women