International Equal Pay Day is an United Nations recognised event and it is observed annually on 18th September worldwide.
The goal of this day is to end the pay gap in the world especially on the basis of gender as women are generally paid less than their male counterparts for the same work even today.
Hence this day is observed as an awareness day as many people in the world today are unaware of this issue and which is very bad especially for the women or other people who are being discriminated and are getting paid less than others for the same work. And this malpractice must be eliminated from our world for a better world.
| Event | International Equal Pay Day |
|---|---|
| Date | September 18, 2022 |
| Day | Sunday |
| Significance | The goal of the day is to close the global gender pay gap |
| Observed by | World wide |
International Equal Pay Day History:
We know that women had to fight a long battle for getting those rights which they rightfully deserved from the start but were denied by our society. As earlier in medieval times women were also prohibited from leaving their houses and go for work and sadly still in some parts of our world this evil practice is still in use.
One such fight for women's equal pay rights can be seen during the civil rights movement in the United States but most of it was about non-white women in the country to end discrimination based on race in the country. Later in 1983, the Equal Rights Act was passed which states that people should be compensated with the same amount for the same work be it overtime pay, bonuses, and any other benefits.
But despite all of such acts being passed by various governments across the world the recent UN reported that still women are mostly paid less than their male counterparts for the same work in our society and this is a very serious issue hurdling women empowerment which is very important component of UN sustainable goals.
The Equal Pay International Coalition began this holiday in 2019 to raise awareness about this persistent issue. Their goal is to end pay gap discrimination. Later in 2020 this holiday got recognised by the United Nations and they observed their first International Equal Pay Day on 18th September, 2020.
International Equal Pay Day Significance:
There are several recent reports and studies which shows that pay gap situation is still very prevalent in our society among men and women. Like one data shows that in the U.S. women earned about $0.82 for every dollar a man made in 2019. The pay gap for women also varies by race, ethnicity, and disability. Those paid the least in the U.S. are Hispanic women who are currently paid 57% of what a white man earns.
Well we have given you the data of the US but the situation regarding it is bad everywhere in the world. Infact in many of the developing and poor countries the situation is very worse and this in return is increasing the income inequality in the world furthermore especially in the developing world.
The problem with the wage gap is that it affects many families throughout generations, where women accumulate less wealth on average. This pay gap is prominent in nearly all occupations and industries, but especially in the male-dominated ones. Even in medical female surgeons are annually paid $19 billion less than their male counterparts.
And this is a very serious issue that our world is facing today which is often sidelined because of lack of awareness and negligence. And hende this day is observed annually to throw a light in this issue and also to encourage people especially women to raise voice for their equal pay rights.
International Equal Pay Day Facts:
Well we have already given you some statistics regarding pay gap but now let's learn more about it:
- Feminine versions of the same product are sometimes more expensive simply because they are for women and this is referred as pink tax.
- If the gender wage gap is reduced then it is estimated that poverty for American working women would be reduced by half.
- Working mothers earn 75 cents for every dollar and single mothers earn 54 cents when compared to men so they are mostly taken advantage of.
- As women gets older the pay gap keeps getting worse. The widest age gap of women is between 55-64 years of age.
- 14 of the 20 lowest paying jobs in the world are dominated by women.
Most Searched FAQs on International Equal Pay Day:
1. When is International Equal Pay Day is observed?
International Equal Pay Day is observed annually on 18th September.
2. What is the pay gap in 2022?
According to recent research, despite substantial progress toward pay equity, women in 2022 still earn 17% less than men on average.
3. When was International Equal Pay Day was created?
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to observe September 18 as International Equal Pay Day, on November 15, 2019.