Equal Pay Day symbolizes how far into a subsequent year women need to work to make what men earned in the previous year. This year, in the US, Equal Pay Day falls on April 2nd.  While the day differs by year and by country, historically it has been characterized by grassroots organizing in local communities to raise awareness about how to solve wage inequality.

The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) first organized Equal Pay Day in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages. The Committee was a coalition of women's and civil rights organizations, labor unions, professional associations and individuals working to eliminate sex and race-based wage discrimination and achieve pay equity.

YaleWomen is similarly committed to changing the story of pay and gender equity. Our vision: a future where parity is the norm. Our programming, events, and community building support this vision through learning about, recognizing, promoting and addressing the fight for gender equality.

On April 2nd, amazing.community, an organization dedicated to broadening the work horizon for women, will host a half-day conference, Inclusion By Design: Equal Pay Day, in New York City. The event will focus on pay equity in the workplace. Experts and policy makers will share thoughts on “Closing the Gap for Good” and “What Works.”  Participants will engage in dynamic workshops on public speaking and influencing and negotiating skills to achieve wage parity.

"It's 2019 and the U.S. gender pay gap currently stands at around 20%. At this rate, it will take nearly a century for women to earn equal pay for equal work,” explains Dr. Leslie Faerstein, executive director of amazing.community. “We’re working to speed up equal pay with the goal of making Equal Pay Day obsolete in the near future – not in another 100 years!"  Join in the effort to shorten the pay equity horizon – and make Equal Pay Day obsolete. Register here.

-- Amy Armitage ’86 MBA