To women workers, in particular: Mark March 24 on your calendars — as that’s when Equal Pay Day comes this year, the symbolic date when a woman’s wages will finally catch up to what a man earned the previous year for doing the same job.
For many Hawaii households, the economic hole already has grown deep this past pandemic year, with more than a quarter-million residents filing for unemployment; Hawaii’s jobless rate is at 10.2%, the nation’s highest. And for female workers, it’s a double whammy: work stagnation amid a chronic gender pay gap.
New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that nationally, women earn just 82 cents for every dollar earned by a male doing the same job; in Hawaii, it’s a bit better — 85 cents on the dollar — due to more women and men doing the same kinds of jobs here, compared to the mainland.
Also unions, especially in service sectors such as hotels, have helped equalize pay based on job categories, not gender.
Still, the disparities exist and persist. Gender pay inequity is a societal issue that snags all: the wife, mother, daughter, sister or niece, certainly — but also all family members who rely on their incomes.
According to the National Partnership for Women &Families, today’s 82 cents on the dollar differential results in a gender gap of $10,157 each year. That gap is magnified and carried into the future, when taking into account retirement and other benefits that are calculated on annual wages.
Many factors contribute to pay gender inequality: service fields that tend to pay lower, such as housekeeping, are more often filled by women, as are
keiki-oriented sectors such as teaching and child care; also, women who exit the work force temporarily for the “mommy track” or caregiver issues often get set back on pay scales and workplace promotions.
And, recent studies show the pandemic heavily impacting service occupations with high female employment, such as hospitality and restaurants. Another area where the pandemic has disproportionately affected working women over men is the closure of schools and daycare facilities — both in leaving more women out of work, and in the need for more child-rearing at home.
Parity begins with expanding opportunities that are gender-blind. That starts in schools with efforts such as STEM education for more girls, toward fields that are higher-paying and more adaptive; and continues with professional development equalizers, such as via Unite Here Local 5’s Hotel and Restaurant Industry Employment &Training Trust. Also key: Evolving mindsets at home to share household duties.
Laws have long recognized gender-pay inequity and continue to seek remedies. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, one of the first federal anti-discrimination laws to address gender-based wage difference, made it illegal to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for similar work. The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 shored up nondiscriminatory pay practices as well as individuals’ rights in court under federal laws. The Paycheck Fairness Act now before Congress aims to further close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act related to pay discrimination.
Workers of all races, walks of life and gender have been hit hard by pandemic unemployment. Getting back on the job track will be challenging for many in this decimated economy — but women, especially women of color, will be re-entering already several paces behind when it comes to wages. Catching up on pay equity will require steadfast strides on several fronts: in schools to expand career options, in workplaces via professional advancement opportunities, and on the homefront in shared responsibilities.
