Equal Pay Day, a day marking the progress of equal pay in the workplace, is observed today, Tuesday April 12. But not much progress has been made since the day was first observed. According to a report released by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), women earn less than men in 107 out of 111 occupations. These disparities exist regardless of education levels. The report, based on 502 employment discrimination settlements, includes case studies in the aerospace manufacturing, agribusiness and food processing, financial services and uniformed services industries. The report showed that close to two-thirds of workers in the lowest paid ten occupations were women, while close to two-thirds of workers in the highest paid ten occupations were men. Equal Pay Day was started by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996. The day was intended to increase public awareness of the wage gap that exists between men and women in the workplace. Tuesday was the day chosen to show how far into the workweek women must work to earn what their male counterparts earned the previous week.
Studies show the wage gap is even greater for many women of color.
