East Los Angeles-Montebello Business and Professional Women (BPW) recognizes April 14, 2015 as Equal Pay Day. Equal Pay Day calls attention to the persistent and sizable gap between men’s and women’s wages. According to latest U.S. Census Bureau on average, full-time working women earned 78 cents (in California it is 84 cents) to every dollar earned by men. The gap is even worse for women of color (African American is 64 cents, and for Latina it is 54 cents). According to SB358 women working full-time in California lose approximately $36,971,379,159 each year due to the gender wage gap. The wage gap contributes to the higher statewide poverty rate among women, which stands at 18 percent, compared to approximately 15 percent for men, and the poverty rate is even higher for women of color and single women living with children. April 14th symbolizes the day when women’s wages catch up to men’s wages from the previous year. Every year in April, Business and Professional Women’s Clubs along with hundreds of other women’s, civil rights, labor, and community organizations recognize Equal Pay Day. Red is worn on this day as a symbol of how far women and minorities are “in the red” with their pay.

“The bottom line for women and businesses is that pay discrimination happens and steps need to be taken to remedy it. This persistent wage gap not only impacts the economic security of women and their families today; it also directly affects women’s retirement security down the road.” said Roslyn Ridgeway, Chair of BPW Foundation.

“Women and their families can no longer afford to be shortchanged. East Los Angeles-Montebello Business and Professional Women’s Club is committed to working to eliminate the wage gap,” said Linda Wilson, President of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women. “We encourage businesses to pay women fairly, push for laws that will enforce current equal pay legislation and educate women on how to negotiate for higher salaries.”

East Los Angeles-Montebello Business and Professional Women usually meet the fourth Wednesday of each month at the DoubleTree Restaurant, 888 Montebello Blvd., Rosemead with networking at 4:30 P.M. and dinner at 5:00 P.M. Meetings are open to interested members of the public. The next meeting will be Wednesday, April 22nd at the DoubleTree Restaurant and will be on Elder Care.