Equal Pay Day Proclamation for AAUW (your branch) March 15, 2022
WHEREAS, 59 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women, especially minority women, continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women working full time, year-round in 2020 in the United States* typically earned 83% percent of what men earned, indicating insufficient change or progress in pay equity; and
WHEREAS, according to Graduating to a Pay Gap, a research report by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the gender pay gap is evident one year after college graduation, even after controlling for factors known to affect earnings, such as occupation, hours worked, and college major; and
WHEREAS, nearly 4 in 10 mothers are primary breadwinners in their households, and nearly two-thirds are primary or significant earners, making pay equity critical to families’ economic security; and
WHEREAS, a lifetime of lower pay means women have less income to save for retirement and less income counted in a Social Security or pension benefit formula; and
WHEREAS, in 2009 the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed into law, which gives back to employees their day in court to challenge a pay gap, although the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have amended the Equal Pay Act by closing loopholes and improving the law’s effectiveness, continues to languish in Congress; and
WHEREAS, the annually-released “Gender Pay Gap by State” by AAUW provides suggestions for state legislative fixes; and
WHEREAS, fair pay equity policies can be implemented simply and without undue costs or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and
WHEREAS, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs while enhancing the American economy; and
WHEREAS, Tuesday, March 15, symbolizes the time in 2022 when the wages paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, (your local official) do hereby proclaim Tuesday, March 15, 2022:
EQUAL PAY DAY