CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN

RECOGNIZE APRIL 10TH AS EQUAL PAY DAY FOR 2018

The California Federation of Business and Professional Women (CFBPW) recognizes April 10, 2018 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 79 cents (in California it is 84 cents) to every dollar earned by men. The gap is even worse for women of color (for African American women it is 62.5 cents, for Latinas it is 54.4 cents and for Asian women it is 86.8 cents). In addition, women of all racial/ethnic groups earn less than men in that same racial/ethnic group. According to California Fair Pay Law 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. According to the Economic Policy Institute, “Right out of college, young men are paid more than their women peers—which is surprising given that these recent graduates have the same amount of education and a limited amount of time to gain differential experience. While young men (age 21–24) with a college degree are paid an average hourly wage of $20.87 early in their careers, their female counterparts are paid an average hourly wage of just $17.88, or $2.99 less than men. This gap of $2.99 per hour is particularly striking as young women have higher rates of bachelor’s degree attainment (20.4 percent) than young men (14.9 percent). This difference would translate to an annual wage gap of more than $6,000 for full-time workers.” April 10th 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.

“Women and their families can no longer afford to be shortchanged. The California Federation of Business and Professional Women (CFBPW) is committed to working to eliminate the wage gap,” said Linda Wilson, Past President of CFBPW. “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.”