LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared March 12, 2024, Equal Pay Day in Michigan. A day that symbolizes how far into the year the average woman works to earn the same amount the average male employee had earned the previous year.
The first equal pay day was observed by a national committee in 1996. According to the latest number from the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 30 years later, the average woman makes 82% of what her male counterpart makes.
Noreen Farrell, the Director of Equal Rights Advocates, and Co-Founder of the Equal Pay Today campaign explained that for seasonal and part-time workers the number is closer to 78 cents for every dollar a male worker makes, and for women of color and LGBTQ+ workers, the difference is even more glaring.
“The equal pay gap isn’t just some sort of abstract notion. it comes down to people’s dollars and cents, whether or not they can support their family, whether or not they can pay their rents,” Farrell said. “The first equal pay laws were passed in 1964 and really it’s been a snail’s pace in terms of progress.”
Farrell also explained that the occupational segregation of women into the lowest-paid jobs represents roughly 30% of the pay gap. She said making room for women in the highest-paid industries and jobs will play a major role in closing the gap.
Michigan’s own Equal Pay Act was enacted in 2014, prohibiting pay discrimination based on sex for equal work in jobs that require equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and are performed under similar working conditions.
Farrell explained that Equal Pay Today advocates for policies that promote wage transparency by requiring salary disclosure on job listings, protecting against motherhood discrimination with paid parental leave, and raising the minimum wage because women make up two-thirds of minimum and sub-minimum wage workers.
“Today’s an important day to remember that we still have work to do, and there are real solutions that are out there and within the reach of legislators to make that happen,” Farrell said. “It’s within our power as voters and as active workers to make sure we understand what pay scales are in the workplace to make sure that we know what laws are in play that could help us and understand which legislators are ready to champion them.”
With major elections this fall, Farrel said they hope to keep people informed on lawmakers supporting similar legislation to make sure the work continues to close the gap.
