The United Nations first observed Equal Pay Day Sept. 18, 2020, estimating that women earn 23 percent less than men globally.
Sam Storey
According to Capitola Mayor Sam Storey, 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.
Here is his proclamation:
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 2022 in the U.S. typically earned 83 percent of what men earned, indicating insufficient progress in pay equity; and
WHEREAS, according to “Graduating to a Pay Gap,” a research report by the American Association of University Women, 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 four 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 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 closing loopholes and improving the law’s effectiveness, continues to languish in Congress; and
WHEREAS, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs while enhancing the American economy; and
WHEREAS, 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, Sam Storey, Mayor of the City of Capitola, do hereby proclaim March 15, 2022, to be “Equal Pay Day” in Capitola and urge the citizens of Capitola to recognize the full value of women’s skills and significant contributions to the labor force and further encourage businesses to conduct internal pay evaluations to ensure women are being paid fairly.