AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Wage Gap

Women’s Equal Pay Day is observed on May 3, according to the A.A.P.I. This day symbolises how far into the year women must work to earn the same wage as men did the previous year. The average full-time woman earns only 83% of what a full-time male earns, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. Equal Pay Day was established in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity (N.C.P.E.) to bring attention to the gender wage gap. Due to the wide disparities in pay between communities, additional Equal Pay Days have been added to the calendar to represent the reality that many women must work much longer into the year to catch up to men.

The background of AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day

Despite the fact that many women, including women of colour, immigrants, poor and working-class women, have worked outside the home or been compensated for their labour since the country’s establishment, the realm of paid employment has traditionally been viewed as part of men’s public sphere in the American psyche. Women were presumed to exist in the “private” realm and perform unpaid labour until World War II, when record numbers of women entered the paid workforce.

In 1942, the National War Labour Board urged industry leaders to make “adjustments that [would] equalise wage or salary rates paid to females with rates paid to males for comparable quality and quantity of work on the same or similar operation”

In 1996, the National Committee on Pay Parity, a coalition of women’s and civil rights organisations, labour unions, professional associations, and individuals seeking to end sex and race-based wage discrimination and attain pay equity, celebrated the day for the first time.

The battle over equal pay has waged for generations in the United States. Multiple laws have been enacted to promote equal pay for men and women.

In 1963, John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act, which was hailed as a “great step forward” for women in the workplace. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination based on race, origin, colour, religion, or sex. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 protected pregnant employees, and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 allowed parents of either gender to take time off. President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which reinstated some anti-discrimination protections that had been removed by a 2007 Supreme Court ruling and provided corporations with incentives to create more equitable payrolls.

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5 fascinating facts about the wage gap

Unfortunately, the pandemic halted progress in closing the wage disparity between men and women, and budget cuts and a lack of child care have forced many women to leave the workforce entirely.

In every country, males are paid more than females in some way.

In almost every profession, women earn less than men.

For a great number of women, the wage gap is significantly greater, and there must be a great deal of equal pay throughout the globe.

The gender wage gap does not address discrimination, which is an additional cause for concern.

AAPI WOMEN’S EQUAL PAY DAY DATES