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.
The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls has a long history of advocacy work with regards to pay equity in California and has been proud to partner with First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom since 2019 to encourage companies, cities, and counties to take the California Equal Pay Pledge. The Commission offers aligned programmatic offerings, educational briefings, and offer our support as advocates, supporters, and co-authors of critical legislation.
Please check out our information and resources below, or click here to be redirected to the Equal Pay Pledge page.
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 National Women’s Law Center 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.
The Commission has a long history of advocacy work on this topic when it comes to legislation. 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 the Commission continues 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.
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. 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 dates below are from our friends at Equal Pay Today.
2024 Equal Pay Days
We observe different demographic equal pay days throughout the year to raise awareness about the harmful wage gaps faced by women of color as compared to their white non-Hispanic male counterparts.
MARCH 25: EQUAL PAY DAY
Equal Pay Day
78 cents for all earners*
84 cents for full-time, year-round earners
Based on 2022 earnings data
APRIL 7: AANHPI WOMEN’S EQUAL PAY DAY
AANHPI Women
89 cents for all earners*
99 cents for full-time, year-round earners
Based on 2022 earnings data
MAY 6: MOMS’ EQUAL PAY DAY
Moms’ Equal Pay Day
62 cents for all earners*
74 cents for full-time, year-round earners
Based on 2022 earnings data
June 17: LGBTQIA EQUAL PAY DAY
LGBTQIA Equal Pay Awareness Day
Raise awareness around the lack of wage gap data for LGBTQIA+ communities
July 10: BLACK WOMEN’S EQUAL PAY DAY
Black Women
66 cents for all earners*
69 cents for full-time, year-round earners
Based on 2022 earnings data
AUGUST 28: NHPI WOMEN’S EQUAL PAY DAY
NHPI Women’s Equal Pay Day
61 cents for all earners*
65 cents for full-time, year-round earners
Based on 2022 earnings data
OCTOBER 8: LATINA EQUAL PAY DAY
Latinas
52 cents for all earners*
59 cents for full-time, year-round earners
Based on 2022 earnings data
NOVEMBER 18: NATIVE WOMEN’S EQUAL PAY DAY
Native and Indigenous Women
55 cents for all earners*
59 cents for full-time, year-round earners
Based on 2022 earnings data
*The numbers reflect the average wage gap for all workers (including those working full time, year-round as well those working part time and part year)
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
Resources
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.
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
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.
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.
Factsheets and Data
Click the dropdown below to find links to factsheets and data from the Commission and some of our partners.
Factsheets & Research Dropdown
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
2023 Wage Gaps
Click the button below to view the wage gap data for 2023. These numbers change annually and are different for different racial and ethnic groups, parents, LGBTQIA+ community members, disabled women, and also reflect regional differences.
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.