Symbol for the equal pay day. Dice form the expression “EQUAL PAY DAY”.
getty The following is an excerpt from this week’s (DI)SCUSS newsletter, focusing on bold ideas that boost representation and belonging in business. Sign up for the newsletter here. Wednesday, March 23, marked Equal Pay Day, the date that signifies how many days into the new year the average woman must work to earn the same wage as the average man doing the same job. For those who have questioned why we are still having equal pay conversations in the year 2021, consider this: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in the wake of the Covid-19 health crisis women lost 30 years of progress. And the women’s labor force participation rate was 55.8% in February 2021—the same as it was in April 1987.
Here is why we are still having equal pay conversations in 2021, and why gender parity is good for business. Addressing The Mass Incarceration Of Black women Amidst calls for gender equity, one group is often left out of the conversation—Black women in prisons. While the need for prison reform is often framed in terms of Black men’s experiences, Black women, who make up 13% of the country’s female population, represent 30% of the women’s prison population and 44% of all women in jail. Highlighting this problem, the #FreeHer Campaign calls for 100 women to be granted clemency during President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office.
A Look at Bias, Business and “The American Way” As the Asian American community continues to reel from last week’s deadly attacks, business and community leaders and policymakers have called for systemic change. But their calls cannot and should not rest solely on the Asian American community. Read about how you can become a better ally, check out this list of Anti-Asian Violence Resources, and learn about the history of bias in business and “the American way.”