Equal Work Deserves Equal Pay
Women in the U.S. who work full time, year round are paid only 84 cents for every dollar paid to men — this gap is even bigger for women of color. Help us close the gap. If you need help filing a wage claim or have specific questions please call the Department of Labor toll free at 833-526-4636. Read more about the California Equal Pay Act and your rights under the law here.
Solving Big Problems…Together
While the difference between the earnings of women and men has shrunk over time, it has done so in incrementally, creating a persistent gap over decades. There continues to be a disparity in how men and women are paid, even when all compensable factors are controlled for, according to research by Payscale, meaning that women are paid less than men due to no attributable reason other than gender. In 2023, the NWLC estimates the gender wage gap is $0.84 for every $1 that men make and these numbers only get worse for women of color, LGBTQ women, and mothers.
CCSWG has a long history of advocacy work with regards to Pay Equity in California. Former Commissioner Senator Hannah Beth Jackson authored the California Fair Pay Act, the strongest Equal Pay Law in the nation, as well as SB 973 and SB 1383, requiring large California employers to report salary data and protecting California’s paid family leave benefits, respectively. These efforts were crucial and Commissioners continue to expand on them including co-sponsoring Commissioner Senator Monique Limón’s Salary Transparency bill, SB 1162, which was signed into law by Governor Newsom in September 2022.
Employer transparency is key to achieving equal pay for women and people of color. We can’t fix what we can’t see. Learn more about the wage gap data below.
Cents on the dollar is on average, what women earn compared to men
%
Of workers believe a racial wage gap exists due to racial identity
%
Less is what LGBTQ+ women earn compared to Non-LGBTQ+ men
%
Of organizations plan to conduct a pay equity analysis
Equal Pay Days
Equal Pay Day was developed by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. This year, Equal Pay Day has been calculated based on earnings data for full time year-round workers PLUS part time and part year workers in order to give a more complete picture of women in the workforce. Additional Equal Pay Days throughout the year highlight disparities along additional intersections such as race, motherhood, and sexual orientation. The calculations are based on U.S. Census Bureau 2021 earnings data released in 2022.
2023 Equal Pay Day (Average women vs men): March 14
- 77 cents for “all earners” (full time year-round + part time and part year)
- 84 cents for full time, year round earners
AANHPI women – April 5 *National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) will also observe a separate Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Equal Pay Day on August 30 to raise awareness about the fact that NHPI women have a much larger wage gap compared to the AANHPI community as a whole.
- 80 cents for “all earners” (full time year round + part time and part year)
- 92 cents for full time year round
LGBTQIA Equal Pay Awareness Raising Day: June 15
- We will be raising awareness about the need for more pay data.
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day: July 27
- 64 cents for “all earners” (full time year-round + part time and part year)
- 67 cents for full time, year round
Mom’s Equal Pay Day: August 15
- 62 cents for “all earners” (full time year-round + part time and part year)
- 74 cents for full time, year round
NHPI women: August 30
- 61 cents for all earners
- 65 cents for full time year round
Latina Equal Pay Day: October 5
- 54 cents for “all earners” (full time year-round + part time and part year)
- 57 cents for full time year round
Native Women’s Equal Pay Day: November 30
- 51 cents for “all earners” (full time year-round + part time and part year)
- 57 cents for full time year round
Take The Pledge
#EqualPayCA is a campaign led by the First Partner, in partnership with the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and the California Partner’s Project, focused on closing the pay gap in California. California has the strongest equal pay laws in the nation, but passing a law is only the first step. The #EqualPayCA campaign challenges businesses to commit to equity through the Pay Equity Pledge.
To date, over 100 California employers have taken the pledge, including GAP Inc., Twitter, LinkedIn, Adobe, Mattel, Salesforce, and more. We would be excited to add your name to this growing list and publicly recognize your commitment to equity in the workplace.
Resources
The ongoing crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic have underscored how vital equal pay is for women and families and exposed how the work performed primarily by women, and particularly women of color, continues to be undervalued, even as we depend on it as never before. CCSWG focuses on bringing together Californians and developing complex intersectional perspectives on the challenges we face in order to collectively develop solutions and advocate for their implementation. We hope you will join us.
How Can I Promote a Culture of Pay Equity
The CA Pay Equity Task Force recommends that employers consider adopting some or all of these action Items to promote a culture of pay equity within the employer’s organization.
Take The Pledge
We are challenging businesses to take the Equal Pay Pledge and commit to conducting an annual company-wide gender pay analysis, reviewing hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers, and to ensure fundamental equity for all workers.
Conduct An Equity Analysis
Click below to learn more about how to conduct a Pay Equity analysis.
- A Guide to Pay Equity Analysis | Lucidchart
- How to Conduct a Pay Equity Analysis: Guide for Employers – Factorial
- Pay Analysis – Good Jobs Institute
- Pay Equity Analysis: The Essential Guide – AIHR
- PayParity | Pay Equity Audit Software – Trusaic
- Pipeline® — Gender Equity in the Workplace
- What is SB 1162 and How to Comply | Praisidio
Union Resources
California law requires that employers pay women and men doing substantially similar work the same wage rate. There is no exception for employees covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements and no minimum number of employees needed for this law to apply. Find guidelines on how to comply with California’s Equal Pay laws here.
Employee Resources
There are many ways you can find out if you’re being appropriately compensated for your work and your particular role. Learn more about your rights as an employee here.
Business Resources
California law requires that employers pay women and men doing substantially similar work the same wage rate. Find guidelines and assistance on how to comply with California’s Equal Pay laws here.
Job Seekers Resources
Before you even begin applying for jobs or interviewing, you’re right, you need to be aware of what possible pay ranges or options exist. You can use pay range information when you interview and are hired to make sure you are asking for and being offered pay that is similar to people with similar jobs. Learn more here.
Equal Pay Days
Equal Pay Day was developed by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event. The CCSWG highlights these issues annually through digital campaigns and events.
Women in the Workplace
The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls is excited to share resources from LeanIn.Org to help increase awareness about the challenges facing women, and particularly women of color, in the workplace. Find these resources and more here.
Equal Pay Task Force
In January 2016, SB 358, the California Fair Pay Act, took effect. California is uniquely positioned to provide leadership on this issue, and the CCSWG is uniquely positioned within California to support meaningful compliance with the strongest equal pay laws in the country.
The Commission launched a statewide, multi-stakeholder Pay Equity Task Force to engage diverse interests and facilitate an ongoing dialogue about pay equity between employees and their advocates, small and large employers, policymakers, legislators, experts in human resources and compensation practices, industrial organizational psychologists, labor economists, social scientists, and legal and other experts in the public and private sectors.
In 2017, the California Senate Office of Research conducted a case study on the California Pay Equity Task Force which was unique in that it is the first task force in California to be convened for the purpose of assuring effective implementation of a law. Read that report and learn more below.
Partner Resources
The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls is excited to share resources from aligned organizations to help increase awareness about the challenges facing women, and particularly women of color, in the workplace. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into stark relief the disparities between women and men, and the additional burdens placed on women of color. Addressing these significant disparities is critical to ensuring the economic security of women and their families.
Factsheets & Research
Download the #EqualPayCA factsheet here and Know Your Rights!
Download the #EqualPayCA factsheet in Spanish here and Conoce Tues Derechos!
Lean In Research: How COVID-19 is Impacting Women
Even before COVID-19, women were playing on an uneven field. Now the pandemic is making everything worse
National Women’s Law Center: The Wage Gap
The wage gap typically translates into more than $10,000 per year in lost earnings for women. The good news is that there’s a clear path ahead to fair pay for women
