WASHINGTON DC (March 29, 2019) — To mark Equal Pay Day (April 2), the day that symbolizes how women, on average, have to work around three months longer to earn what men did the previous year, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has launched a multi-pronged effort to close the pay gap by 2030. This effort includes advocating to update and change state and federal laws, working with employers and industries to improve practices, and supporting women to better negotiate their own financial futures.
“Women shouldn’t have to work an additional three months to earn the same as a man in a single year. The American workforce isn’t going to stand for it anymore,” said Kim Churches, chief executive officer of AAUW. “Let’s make Equal Pay Day a thing of the past.”
Currently, on average, women in Iowa are paid 79 cents on the dollar compared to men, a pay gap of 78.85 percent. According to AAUW’s The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap report, the state ranks 46th nationally in gender pay equity, based on full-time working women compared to full-time working men. (Download the fast facts, a list of state rankingsand a state specific policy guide roadmap.)
An AAUW analysis finds that Iowa’s existing equal pay laws only provide moderate protections for the state’s workers. While there are several bills pending in the legislature, we have yet to see any meaningful action on them this session. If the legislative session ends without progress, this will mark yet another squandered opportunity to make the lives of Iowa women better and more equitable. Legislators need to listen to their constituents and pass real solutions that will help real women achieve full economic equality. (A detailed breakdown of types of equal pay state policies can be found here.)
New Poll Finds Majority of Americans Believe Pay Gap Is Due to Bias
The majority of Americans — almost 60 percent — think the gender pay gap is due to biases in the workplace, according to a new poll released today by AAUW. Women are more likely than men to blame bias: 65 percent of women say bias accounts for the pay gap, compared to 53 percent of men. Only 23 percent of Americans say the gap is the result of choices women make.
Despite attitudes about what’s to blame for the pay gap, the poll found that most people are unaware of the extent of it: Only 22 percent believe that men’s pay increases when they become fathers, and only 32 percent believe women’s pay decreases once they become mothers. This is despite US Census labor data showing a “motherhood penalty,” in which mothers experience drop in earnings, and a “fatherhood bonus,” where men get a bump in pay when they become dads. On average, mothers are paid 71 percent for every dollar paid to fathers.
Other highlights of the AAUW poll include:
- Salary transparency is a key to closing the pay gap, and 57 percent of Americans reported they have discussed or would discuss their salary with co-workers, with millennials and Generation Z women more likely than other generations to talk about their pay.
- In terms of advocating for higher pay, more than half of Americans have negotiated for salary (51 percent), with men negotiating more than women (54 percent compared to 47 percent). Three quarters of Americans believe men and women are treated differently when it comes to pay negotiations.
Full poll results available here.
