Equal Pay Day 2023: The Numbers You Need To Know

This year, Equal Pay Day in the United States falls on March 14. It is a symbolic day that represents how far into the new year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. While March 14 is a representative average of all women in the workforce for 2023, it’s important to note that equal pay day for women of color, working moms, and members of the LGBTQ+ community is even later in the year, highlighting the added layer of discrimination and challenges they face in the workplace.

Here are five key stats to know about the gender pay gap in 2023:

1. The gender pay gap persists. Despite decades of progress toward gender equality, women still earn less than men in almost every occupation. In fact, the pay gap has only narrowed by 2 cents in the past twenty years. This means that women must work at least an extra 2.5 months to earn the same amount as their male counterparts did in the previous year.
2. Women of color face even larger pay gaps. The gender pay gap is even wider for women of color. Black women earn only 67 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, while Latina, Native, and Indigenous women earn just 57 cents for every dollar, and working mothers earn 67 cents for every dollar.
3. The pay gap affects women at all education levels. In fact, women with advanced degrees face larger pay gaps than women with less education. According to the American Association of University Women, women with master's degrees earn just 73 cents for every dollar earned by men with master's degrees.
4. The pay gap affects women throughout their careers. The gender pay gap doesn't just affect women early in their careers. It persists throughout their working lives, impacting their earnings and retirement savings. Women who work full-time for 40 years earn nearly $1 million less than men who work the same amount of time, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.
5. Women earn less than men as they age. In 2022, women ages 25 to 34 earned 92% of the median hourly earnings of men, compared to those 35 to 44 and those 45 to 54, who each made 83%, and women 55 to 64, who made 79%.
6. The pay gap has a ripple effect on families and communities. The gender pay gap doesn't just affect individual women—it has a ripple effect on families and communities. When women are paid less, they have less money to spend on themselves, their families, and their communities. This can lead to decreased economic growth and a lower quality of life for all.

The gender pay gap has a systemic impact on women across the nation. It affects their ability to save for retirement and access healthcare services. Additionally, women who earn less than men may delay starting a family due to financial concerns. Addressing pay equity can help to ensure financial security, healthcare access, and freedom to make choices without economic barriers.

So, what can we do to close the gender pay gap and ensure that all women are paid fairly for their work? One key step is to pass and enforce stronger pay equity laws at the federal and state levels. This includes measures to prohibit employers from asking about salary history, to require companies to report pay data by gender and race, and to increase penalties for pay discrimination. Another important aspect is to promote workplace policies that support work-life balance, such as paid family and medical leave and flexible work arrangements.

If you’re interested in learning more and taking action, here are a few great organizations doing the work at the ground level to make a real and lasting change:

• Equal Pay Today - The mission of Equal Pay Today, a project of Equal Rights Advocates, is to eradicate the long-standing gender wage gap impacting the economic security of women, families, and communities of color. Through strategies involving policy reform, litigation, education and outreach, our innovative collaboration of national, regional, and state-based women's legal advocacy, worker justice groups, and social justice organizations are changing conversations about equal pay at every opportunity.
• Equal Rights Advocates - ERA creates easy ways for you to take action, including writing, calling, or tweeting  at your legislators. Sign up to join ERA’s Action Team to get actions sent straight to your email, including ways you can support bills to improve workplace justice and the economic security of women and families. 
• American Association of University Women - AAUW continues to advocate for strong pay equity legislation, executive action, and full enforcement of our current laws to protect employees and assist employers in eliminating the pay gap. AAUW is also committed to empowering women to negotiate their own financial futures by providing training through our Work Smart salary negotiation programs. While you can’t negotiate your way around discrimination, having the expertise to negotiate a higher salary can help ensure women receive the pay and benefits they deserve. All of these efforts are critical to closing the gender pay gap.

Finally, we can all take action in our own lives by speaking out against pay discrimination, negotiating our salaries, and supporting women-owned businesses. By working together, there is still hope for building a future where all women are paid fairly for their work and can thrive in their careers and communities.