Equal Pay Day 2023 (USA): History, Significance and Celebration

Equal Pay Day is celebrated in different countries to raise awareness about the gender pay gap. The day is usually observed in March or April every year. In 2023, the Equal Pay Day observation will take place on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Many other countries also celebrate Equal Pay Day on different days of the year. For more details about Equal Pay Day 2023, such as its significance, history, celebration, etc, follow the article below.

Equal Pay Day Upcoming Events

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for Equal Pay Day for the previous 5 years.

Equal Pay Day 2023 Overview

Equal Pay Day Significance

Equal Pay Day is a symbolic day of observation that highlights the issue of the gender pay gap prevailing in the US. The objective of this day is to end the history of gender discrimination, a practice where women are paid less for a similar job than their male counterparts. Equal Pay Day marks the day of the year on which women on average will earn what men did in the previous year which generally takes them 15 months. Looking at a typical 9:00 to 5:00 workday, women start working for free at 2:40 pm. The wage gap is even greater for women of color.

History of Equal Pay Day

The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) established Equal Pay Day in 1996 as a public awareness event to draw focus on the gap between the wages of men and women in the United States. It was originally called National Pay Inequity Awareness Day but was later changed to Equal Pay Day in 1998.

About National Committee on Pay Equity

The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) was founded in 1979 by a coalition of women’s and civil rights organizations, labor unions and religious, professional, legal & educational associations. State and local pay equity coalitions, commissions on women and individuals working to eliminate sex and race-based wage discrimination to achieve pay equity also form a part of this committee.

Check: Special days in March 2023

Celebration of Equal Pay Day

Equal Pay Day is celebrated every year with events like seminars and workshops on how to solve wage inequity organized by professional associations, labor groups and civil rights organizations. Women’s businesses and other organizations committed to equal pay coordinate activities to raise awareness on the matter. Many local Equal Pay Day activists organize rallies, speak-outs, lobby days, letter-writing campaigns and meetings with employers, policy-makers, and enforcement agencies to promote effective solutions for closing the wage gap. People wear red on this day as a symbol of how women and minorities are “in the red” with their pay.

The National Committee on Pay Equity encourages its members and supporters to form WAGE Clubs. In these clubs, women gather regularly to participate in a series of discussions and strategy sessions to help each other take action to close the wage gap in their workplaces. As an individual, you can raise awareness about the wage gap for women and its impact on women and their families by means of social media. Use the hashtag #EqualPayDay and the social media toolkit offered by NCPE to engage with the community members across the nation promoting equal wages.

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