Yesterday, the United States observed Women’s Equality Day—which celebrates the passage of the 19th amendment and highlights the impact and importance of women voters—and last Thursday was Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, the day marking how far into this year black women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. To honor these days and all they symbolize, we have a few articles to share with you on equality, representation, pay equity, history, and women’s achievements and worth. Enjoy, share, and keep fighting for yourselves and one another.
It Takes Black Women in the U.S. 20 Months to Earn What White Men Make in a Year. Here’s the History Behind That Wage Gap, from TIME—“The race and gender pay gap is not a bug in America’s economic system: it’s a feature. Making the labor market more equitable today and in the years to come will require understanding and accounting for our history, acknowledging how sexism and racism have been baked into our economy for centuries and continue to shape opportunities and outcomes for women and their families. But we need not avoid repeating all of our past. After all, history also tells us a different kind of rules—like those of the Civil Rights era—can move the needle toward equity and inclusion. Today reminds us just how overdue we are for more of them.”
We’re Doing the Work; Why Aren’t We Seeing the Equity? For Women’s Equality Day, Experts Weigh In, from The Root—“As last Thursday’s Black Women’s Equal Pay Day sadly demonstrated, increased awareness isn’t moving the needle on progress […] Both Lean In and NOW readily acknowledge that when it comes to equality in the workplace, the real power lies with businesses who set the standards for everything from salaries to workplace culture.”
NASA Astronaut Celebrates Women’s Equality Day in Space at Midpoint of Record-Breaking Flight, from Space.com—“I have truly been inspired by the struggle and triumphs of so many women that dare to break new ground in all aspects of society, and those who have pushed the boundaries of human imagination. And now I am both privileged and challenged to have the opportunity to be a part of that story”
Women’s Equality Day and It Might Not Exist If It Weren’t for One Legislator’s Mother, from CNN—“On August 26, Women‘s Equality Day honors the hard-fought victory of the women‘s suffrage movement. But the holiday might not exist if one representative’s mother hadn’t convinced him to cast the deciding vote to pass the 19th amendment.”
What Melinda Gates, Billie Jean King, and Michelle Obama Want You to Know About Women’s Equality Day, from Fast Company—“On #WomensEqualityDay don’t use words for women like ‘empower’ and ‘celebrate’. Use words like ‘hire,’ ‘promote,’ ‘pay,’ ‘raise,’ ‘bonus,’ ‘invest,’ ‘fund,’ ‘enrich’ – and DO IT. Leaders, ask for that employee pay spreadsheet, find the women, raise their pay to the same as men’s.” —Cindy Gallop
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