Equal Pay Days Social Media Kit 2017

Help highlight the wage gap and demand equal pay for equal work for everyone by using the Equal Pay Days Social Media Kit – 2017

Equal Pay Days Social Media Kit 2017

Background – Equal Pay Day, commemorated on April 4th this year, represents the approximate day that women must work to in the current year to make the same amount of money men did in the previous year. In other words, the equal pay calculation means that a woman must have worked all of one year and well into the next year to be paid what men were paid in one year alone. The gender-based wage gap represents a pattern that has existed over many years and reflects multiple barriers to equal pay, including gender- and race-based pay discrimination, segregation of women into lower paying jobs and exclusion from higher-paying nontraditional jobs as well as lack of workplace policies that make it difficult for women to care for families without suffering an economic penalty.

$10,500 Less Income  – The wage gap of 80 cents (rounded up from 79.6 percent) is the median earnings in 2015 (latest data available) of women full-time, year round workers as a percentage of the median earnings of men full-time, year round workers, according to the Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau. The median earnings describe the pay for a worker at the exact middle of all workers (in a category), working at least 35 hours, and at least 50 weeks per year and include just the money people receive in their paychecks. The 20.4 percent gap represents nearly $10,500 in lower annual earnings for all women at the median – which accumulated over a 40-year working career is a huge loss in income.

Men Still Doing Better – A more recent calculation of the wage gap looking at 2016, looking at the weekly full-time earnings for women and men (all races, across all occupations), puts the earnings ratio (wage gap) at 81.9 – an increase of 0.8 percent over 2015. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women’s median weekly earnings for full-time work was $749 in 2016 compared with $915 for men. Controlling for inflation, women’s earnings increased by 1.9 percent and men’s earnings increased by 1.0 percent since 2015, but men still make significantly more.

NOW was the first women’s organization to publicize not only the traditional, all women’s Equal Pay Day, but also the dates that symbolize how much harder women of color must work to make the same as their male counterparts from the previous year. Continuing that conversation about the pay gap we now include the income inequalities which exist along racial as well as gender lines, recognizing multiple Equal Pay Days. 

2017 Equal Pay Day Dates – The wage disparity in the U.S. persists not only between men and women but also varies considerably by race and this pattern has persisted over many decades. Although women (of all races) are paid $.80 for every dollar men (all races, across all occupations) are paid, the wage gaps for nearly all other major racial groups are dramatically wider. Only the Asian-American women’s wage gap is smaller – but many smaller sub-groups of Asian-American women have a much larger wage gap.  The wage gaps and Equal Pay Days noted below are based on calculations using 2015 median year ‘round, full- time earnings.

  • March 7 – Asian-American Women’s Equal Pay Day (85%)
  • April 4 – Traditional Equal Pay Day (80%)
  • July 31 – African American Women’s Equal Pay Day (63%)
  • September 25 – Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day (59%)
  • November 2 – Latina Women’s Equal Pay Day (54%)

Twitter

Hashtag: #EqualPayNOW #equalpayday #equalpay

Graphics that can be used with Twitter or Facebook posts are included at the end.

General Equal Pay – Use Any Time

  • Disclosing salary to fellow workers: not protected by Equal Pay Act. ~50% of private companies will fire you for doing so. #EqualPayNOW
  • At this rate, the U.S. wage gap will not close until 2059. #WeWontWaitFor2059 #EqualPayNOW #PaycheckFairnessAct
  • The worldwide wage gap will take another 118 years to close at the current rate. #EqualPayNOW
  • The Equal Pay Act passed over 50 years ago—but we still haven’t closed the wage gap. #EqualPayNOW
  • Substantially equal work deserves #EqualPayNOW!
  • Women are over 2 times more likely than men to work jobs with poverty wages. #EqualPayNOW
  • 2/3 of minimum wage workers are women, even though they make up <1/2 of the overall workforce. #EqualPayNOW
  • Help women – increase the minimum wage! ly/1c1mpHu#EqualPayNOW
  • This year’s high school graduates will be 61 by the time the pay gap closes. #EqualPayNOW
  • The pay gap means losing $418K over a 40 year career. What would you do w/ your $418K? #EqualPayNOW #IWantMyMillion

 Paycheck Fairness Act – Use Any Time

  • Huge thanks to @PattyMurray and @rosadelauro for reintroducing the #PaycheckFairnessAct! gov/1DzDhzW#EqualPayNOW
  • Asking someone how much they make might be rude, but under the #PaycheckFairnessAct, at least it wouldn’t get you fired. #EqualPayNOW
  • The #PaycheckFairnessAct would prohibit retaliation against employees who ask about wages or disclose their pay. #EqualPayNOW

Asian-American Women’s Equal Pay – March 7

  • Asian-American women have the smallest wage gap—but still are paid only 85% of what men are paid. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • The pay gap for Asian-American women amounts to approx. $349,320 lost. #EqualPayNOW #WOC

Traditional Equal Pay Day – April 4, Tweet Storms: 2-3PM EST

  • It’s #EqualPayDay – 80 cents is the median pay for all women compared to the $1 paid to men. #EqualPayNOW
  • Think all women earn 79.6% of what men earn? Think again. Many #WOC earn even less. #EqualPayNOW
  • As of April 4, women have been paid the same amount by working into the second year men received in the previous year alone. #EqualPayNOW
  • Women are paid 80¢ for every dollar a man receives—adding up to a wage gap career loss of $418,800. #EqualPayNOW
  • The average pay gap for women across racial lines is about 80% of what men are paid. #EqualPayNOW

Black/African-American Women’s Equal Pay Day – July 31

  • Today we recognize Black/African-American women, who must work ~nearly 8mo extra to earn the same amt. men do in 1yr. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • Think all women are paid 80% of what men earn? Think again. Black/African-American women earn even less.#EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • On average, Black/African-American women are paid 63% of the dollar men are paid. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • The pay gap for Black/African-American women amounts to approx. $840,040 compared to white, non-Hispanic men. #EqualPayNOW #WOC

Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day – September 25

  • Today we recognize Native American women, who must work ~nearly 9 mo extra to earn the same amt. men (all races) do in 1yr. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • Think all women earn 80% of what men earn? Think again. Native American women earn even less. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • On average, Native American women are paid just 58% of the dollar that men are paid. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • The pay gap for Native American women amounts to approx. $943,240 compared to white, non-Hispanic men. #EqualPayNOW #WOC

Latina Women’s Equal Pay Day – November 2

  • Today we recognize Hispanic/Latina women, who must work ~10mo extra to be paid the same amt. men do in 1yr. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • Think all women earn 80% of what men earn? Think again. Hispanic/Latina women earn even less. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • On average, Hispanic/Latina women are paid just 54% of the one dollar that men are paid. #EqualPayNOW #WOC
  • The pay gap for Hispanic/Latina women amounts to approx. $1,043,800 compared to white, non-Hispanic men. #EqualPayNOW #WOC

Follow for Retweets and New Material

@IWPResearch

@ACLU

@MomsRising

@equalpay4all

@9to5Org

@NWLC

@NationalNOW

@AAUWPolicy

@equalpay4all

@NationalNOW

@AAUWPolicy

@9to5Org

Facebook

People are often more likely to click on something if it has an eye-catching graphic. Any of the graphics at the end of this tool kit may be used to accompany any/all of these Facebook posts.

April 4 (Traditional Equal Pay Day)

Happy Equal Pay Day (if you’re a woman)! You have finally earned the same amount of money that men did in 2016!  It’ll be a few more months for women of color.

July 31 (Black/African American Women’s Equal Pay Day)

Today we’re recognizing how much longer black/African-American women have to work to earn as much as white men made in 2016. The average black/African-American woman is paid only 63 cents compared to the average (non-Hispanic) man’s dollar.

September 25 (Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day)

Today we’re recognizing how much longer Native American women have to work to earn as much as white men made in 2016. The average Native American woman makes only 58 cents compared to the average (non-Hispanic) white man’s dollar.

November 2 (Latina Women’s Equal Pay Day)

The pay gap for Hispanic/Latina women is by far the greatest. Today we’re recognizing the extra work Hispanic/Latina women must put in to earn what white men made in 2016. The average Hispanic/Latina woman makes only 54 cents to the average (non-Hispanic) white man’s dollar.

Further Reading

National Committee on Pay Equity, http://pay-equity.org/ http://www.pay-equity.org/info-opposition.html

Gender Pay Inequality – Consequences for Women, Families and the Economy, A Report by the Joint Economic Committee Democratic Staff, U.S. Congress http://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/0779dc2f-4a4e-4386-b847-9ae919735acc/gender-pay-inequality—-us-congress-joint-economic-committee.pdf

What is the gender pay gap and is it real? The complete guide to how women are paid less than men and why it can’t be explained away, http://www.epi.org/files/pdf/112962.pdf

Women’s Bureau Issue Brief – Women’s Earnings and the Wage Gap, https://www.dol.gov/wb/resources/Womens_Earnings_and_the_Wage_Gap_17.pdf

The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation 2015 and by Race and Ethnicity, http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-by-occupation-2015-and-by-race-and-ethnicity

Projected Year Wage Gap Will Close by State, https://iwpr.org/publications/projected-year-wage-gap-will-close-state/

The Gender Wage Gap 2016:  Earnings Differences by Race and Ethnicity, https://iwpr.org/publications/gender-wage-gap-2016-weekly/

Status of Women in the States, http://statusofwomendata.org/explore-the-data/employment-and-earnings/additional-state-data/what-women-earn-by-race-ethnicity/

Pay Equity & Discrimination, https://iwpr.org/issue/employment-education-economic-change/pay-equity-discrimination/

Women and the Lifetime Wage Gap: How Many Woman years Does It Take to Equal 40 Man Years? http://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Women-and-the-Lifetime-Wage-Gap-2017-1.pdf

The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Spring 2017), http://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/

The Gender Pay Gap by State and Congressional District, http://www.aauw.org/resource/gender-pay-gap-by-state-and-congressional-district/

 

Graphics Samples

To upload a graphic on social media, right click on an image below and click “Save image as…”

EqualPay2017-1

Suggested Tweet: The pay gap means
losing up to $1 mil over a 40-year career.
What would you do w/ YOUR $1 mil?
#EqualPayNOW #IWantMyMillion

EqualPay2017-2

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EqualPay2017-3