“Equal pay day” shows difference in men and women’s pay rates

April 14 marked “Equal Pay Day,” the date that symbolized how far into the new year the average American woman would have to work to earn what the average male earns in a year.

According to the White House, full-time working women earn approximately 78% of what males earn. In order to earn the same amount as men, women would have to work 60 extra days in the work year, a total of about three months not counting weekends.

The pay gap between working men and women has always been a nationwide issue. Due largely to progress in education in comparison to now and the 1970’s, men’s wage is rising at a slower rate, yet still shows that men’s pay rate is above women by 22%.

The pay gap is defined as the difference in men’s and women’s median earning, usually reported as the earnings ratio between men and women or as an actual pay gap.

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a report examines the trends in women’s employment and earnings and predicts that the pay gap will not close until 2066 here in Ohio. Some states are projected to close earlier while some are much later. Florida is projected to close in 2038 while Wyoming isn’t projected to close until 2159.

Women in all states, on average, make $10,291 less per year than men according to Expert Market. Women in Florida have the smallest gap at $6,390 while Louisiana has the highest with women making $16,453 less than males annually. Ohio hits the average almost on the head with women making $10,754 less than men annually.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2013 that Ohio women who were full-time wage and salary workers were earning a weekly average of $680, 82.7% of the weekly average earnings of men at $822.

According to information from the U.S. Census Bureau’s current population survey, Louisiana has the highest gap between men and women’s earnings at 66%. New York and Washington D.C. have the lowest at 86% and 91%.

Suzanne Holt, Director of Women’s Studies at Kent State University said the wage gap is a phenomenon that will be heavily questioned until the day it closes.

“It’s interesting on both the levels of facts and also the level of exactly what those facts mean,” said Holt in regards to information her women’s studies colloquium gathered in the last month.

The National Women’s Law Center, thriving to expand possibility for women and girls in the country since 1972, has been working closely to the wage gap in efforts to ensure that male employees get equal pay and benefits for comparable work. In the center’s efforts, the NWLC has pushed for laws that can bring equal pay for genders.

As of March 23, 2015, the NWLC has pushed for petition signers for the Paycheck Fairness Act, which “Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages,” according to Congress.

Members of the National Association of Working Women stated the Paycheck Fairness Act updates and strengthens the Equal Pay Act of 1963, (This amends the Fair Labor Standards Act, which aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex, sign by John F. Kennedy as a part of the New Frontier Program.) to ensure that it will provide protection against gender-based pay discrimination.

While most believe it is only gender that takes a role in the wage gap, statistics show that race and ethnicity also play a role into the wage gap. This goes into question the reasons why the pay gap is affected by this. Research shows that education plays a big part. The number of women who continued education beyond high school and the others who jumped right into the work force

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, African-American and Hispanic women are less likely to graduate from high school or college than their white peers. However, African-American and Hispanic women are still more likely to be paid less than their white peers even if they have the same education level.

audio story by Jenson Strock