Wear red on March 31, Equal Pay Day

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Recognize Equal Pay Day on March 31 to symbolize how far women and minorities are “in the red” with their paycheck. On Tuesday, March 31, women across the United States will join in a national day of action called Equal Pay Day.

April is the point into the new year that a woman must work to earn the wages paid to a man in the previous year. On a national level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women are paid 82 cents for every dollar a man is paid.

Across the United States, median annual income is $63,179. Men earned $67,205 compared to $50,795 for women. Households in Connecticut have a median annual income of $76,348. Men earned around $66,625, whereas women earned around $55,089.

Legislative and executive actions are needed to enable women to bring home the pay they have rightfully earned. The fight for pay equity is to pass federal bills. The Paycheck Fairness Act would protect workers by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963. (S. 819 – Paycheck Fairness Act, 115th Congress (2017-2018)) The Pay Equity for All Act would prohibit employers from asking about salary history before making a job offer. (H.R. 2418 – Pay Equity for All Act of 2017, 115th Congress (2017-2018)).

The Fair Pay Act would require employers to provide equal pay for work of equal value. Tell your member of Congress you want fair pay. (H.R. 2095 – Fair Pay Act of 2017, 115th Congress (2017-2018)).

Sources:

U.S. Census Bureau, American Survey, 2018; Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018

aauw.org/resource/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/

pay-equity.org/