What if you had to work almost three months longer to earn the same amount of money as a man? If you’re a woman who works full time and year-round, you do—and March 24, 2021, marks how far into this year a woman must work to be paid what men were paid the previous year. Known as Equal Pay Day, this annual awareness event was started by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996.
Fast-forward 25 years, the gender pay gap still exists and, at the current rate of change, equality won’t be achieved until 2093. Today, the average woman is paid 82 cents for every dollar paid to a man.
Wait No More
Not content to wait another 70 years for the gap to close, Tri Delta is boldly leading the way in addressing important issues such as gender equity and barriers women face in the workplace. We are proud to partner with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to address these complex societal issues and take an important step toward closing the pay gap.
Studies performed by AAUW show that a gap exists at all levels of work in almost every occupation—and in every state in the U.S. It cuts across all demographics, widening for working mothers and more significantly for most women of color. In fact, Black women are paid 63 cents, Native American women 60 cents and Latinas 55 cents for every dollar paid to white men. Even as the rate of women of color earning bachelor’s and advanced degrees has increased, their wage gap has remained the same or even increased.
The gender pay gap also affects workers of all ages. AAUW’s 2020 analysis showed that even just one year out of college, women are paid significantly less than men. This gap only grows larger over time, making it critical to empower our collegiate members and young alumnae as they begin their professional lives.
Negotiate Your Financial Future
Negotiating increases your potential to earn more—and can make a difference for paying off loans (particularly student loans), supporting yourself and your family, buying what you want and need, and saving for the future. But determining your personal worth, setting your target salary and benefits, and finding the right words and confidence to ask for what you want is a challenge most of us are not equipped to take on.
Generous donations to Tri Delta’s Foundation allow Tri Delta to offer AAUW’s Start Smart and Work Smart workshops to collegiate and alumnae members. These workshops empower women with the skills and confidence they need to successfully negotiate their salaries and benefits and are another opportunity for Tri Deltas to become the best versions of ourselves.
Invest a Bit of Time in Yourself
In the spirit of empowering all our sisters and continuing to make strides toward closing the gender pay gap, Tri Delta is hosting a free virtual AAUW Work Smart workshop. Are you planning to negotiate a raise, return to the workforce or ask for a new role?
Join us online Wednesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. CT. This 2-hour investment of time is a bold first step in advocating for yourself, helping close the wage and leadership gaps that exist now—and paving the way for not just Tri Delta women, but all women, to follow.