Equal Pay Day 2024 is on Tuesday, March 12, and marks the current state of the gender pay gap for women in Alabama and across the country. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) reports that each year, this symbolic day is used to raise awareness around and combat the impact of pay inequities.
According to US Census data, women earn only 84 cents for every $1 earned by men in full-time, year-round positions. All earning women (including part-time, full-time, part-year) earn only 78 cents for every $1 earned by men.
Alabama enacted legislation requiring equal pay for men and women back in June 2019. The signing of Alabama House Bill 225 made Alabama the 49th state to adopt equal pay legislation.
The act prohibits an employer from paying an employee a lower wage rate than an employee of another race or sex for equal work in the same establishment, where job performance requires “equal skill, effort, education, experience, and responsibility” and occurs “under similar working conditions.”
Prior to the signing, Alabama was one of just two states that did not have equal pay protection under state law.
There is no single explanation for why progress toward narrowing the pay gap has all but stalled in the 21st century, according to the Pew Research Center. The think tank reports women generally begin their careers closer to wage parity with men, but they lose ground as they age and progress through their work lives, a pattern that has remained consistent over time.
The pay gap persists even though women today are more likely than men to have graduated from college. In fact, the pay gap between college-educated women and men is not any narrower than the one between women and men who do not have a college degree.
Here's a look at the Gender Pay Gap Data, according to the AAUW:
—Asian American women working full-time, year-round are paid 99 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 89 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
—White women working full-time, year-round are paid 80 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 74 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
—Moms working full-time, year-round are paid 71 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to dads.
—Black women working full-time, year-round are paid 69 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 66 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
—Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) women working full-time, year-round are paid 66 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 60 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
—Latinas working full-time, year-round are paid 57 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 52 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
During this Equal Pay Day, advocacy groups like Equal Pay Today will be urging members of Congress to support two bills that would also provide new tools to address pay inequity and increase wage transparency.
The shared federal calls to action will center on urging federal lawmakers to support:
—The Paycheck Fairness Act, which would modernize and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to better combat pay discrimination and close the wage gap, including by protecting workers from retaliation for discussing pay, banning the use of prior salary history, and codifying pay data collection
—The Salary Transparency Act, which would help reduce the pay gap by requiring employers to provide the salary range for jobs.
Read more about Equal Pay Day here.
