#FairnessFirst: Addressing that gender equality pay gap, day by day
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:
What do we want? Equal pay! When do we want it? 100 years ago. #EqualPayDay
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 10, 2018
Today is Equal Pay Day – this marks how far into the year (97.95 days‼️) a woman typically has to work -> into 2018 to = make what men were paid in 2017, across race, ethnicity, and industry. #EqualPay gap won’t be closed for women until 2059 unless we make a change�� pic.twitter.com/n5A1d6IEnc
— Cher (@cher) April 10, 2018
������������✈️������������������������������������������������♀Support Equal Pay Day and let’s put a stop to this madness!#EqualPayDay pic.twitter.com/HSqJnlTwDP
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) April 10, 2018
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.
Do your bit by standing up for equal pay for equal work, and read more here:
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
