On March 15, 2022, there was a lot of noise that women had reached what men earned in 2021. Hurrah! It was the earliest Equal Pay Day since its inception in 1996. Women are reported to make 83% of what men earn now. Progress right? Not for everyone.
The pay disparities are starker along racial lines, with Black women being paid 64 percent of what White, non-Hispanic men did in 2020 and Latinas being paid 57 percent of what White men made that year, according to the American Association of University Women. Their 2021 report, which examines the impact of COVID and pay equity, peels back the layers of actual earnings for all women. It is a grim picture.
As every school boy and girl knows, gender discrimination is unlawful. Pay disparity is the lowest hanging fruit–numbers do not lie here. Many states have enacted their own Pay Equity laws, some with hefty penalties. Get out in front of this. If you are looking at your pay structure for recruitment, look also for pay disparity. If you have not taken a good look at your pay data, now is a good time. It does not have to be painful. This is an area where we help clients regularly. Based on client input and experiences, we have a fixed fee Gender-Based Equal Pay Audit Service.
We can help. Contact us.