Why do companies continue to struggle with pay equity, more than 60 years after the passage of the federal Equal Pay Act (EPA)? In 2022, U.S. women had median annual earnings that were only 84 percent as much as those for U.S. men, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Meanwhile, a 2022 study sponsored by UKG found that less than half of employees (41 percent) believe their employers have successfully achieved pay equity, even though 74 percent of executives consider pay equity a moderate or high strategic priority.
Perhaps the problem isn’t a lack of awareness or support among business leaders. Instead, the issue may be that organizations are trying to solve the issue on a tactical level when a more strategic, systemic approach is needed.
How Organizations Can Take a Systematic Approach to Pay Equity
SHRM | Mar 2024
Managing Pay Equity Toolkit
Pay Transparency Express Request
The Push for Pay Transparency
SHRM
Equal Pay Day 2024 was March 12
2024 Equal Pay Day
Equal Pay Today
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2024 was July 9
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2024
Equal Pay Today
Pay Equity Audits
What Most Companies Get Wrong About Pay Equity Audits
Katica Roy | Nov 2022
6 steps for conducting an effective pay equity audit
Latesha Byrd | Oct 2022
Why and How to Conduct an Effective Pay Equity Audit
Trusaic | Jun 2022
After the Audit: How to Handle Pay Equity Issues
Salary.com | Nov 2022
Gender Pay Gap in the News
New federal data released on Jan. 18 shows that in 2023 the gender pay gap in the U.S. narrowed to the smallest on record.
The median weekly earnings for all women were $1,031 last year—83.8 percent of what men were paid—according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). When considering race:
- Black women earned 94 percent of what Black men earned.
- White women earned 84.1 percent of what white men earned.
- Asian women earned 78.3 percent of what Asian men earned.
Gender Pay Gap Shrinks to Smallest Ever in U.S.
SHRM | Jan 2024
Recent research finds that the wage gap between men and women has barely budged in 20 years—a discrepancy illustrated by today’s Equal Pay Day.
Gender Pay Gap Has Made Virtually No Improvement in Two Decades
SHRM | Mar 2023
How To Introduce Pay Transparency To Help Close The Gender Pay Gap
Forbes | Feb 2023
Equal Pay Day 2023: Attacking the Gender Pay Gap
Ford Harrison | Feb 2023
A Window into the Wage Gap
National Women's Law Center | Jan 2023
The Gender Pay Gap Is Greater for Certain Racial and Ethnic Groups and Varies by Education Level
US GAO | Dec 2022
U.S. men's and women's soccer teams formally sign equal pay agreements
PBS News Hour | Sep 2022
Advancing Pay Equity Through Compensation Analysis
Equal Pay and Pay Transparency Protections
US Department of Labor
Law Firm Resources
Jackson Lewis Pay Equity Advisor Blog
Seyfarth 50 State Equal Pay Reference Guide
Seyfarth Pay Equity Issues & Insights
JD Supra Pay Equity Laws and Equal Pay
SHRM Members' Survey
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