The gender pay gap is a human rights issue

By Shakirah A. Hill Taylor

Last year, I wrote about the gender pay gap through the lens of my experience as a Black woman advancing in the workforce. The practical ways the pay inequity impacted my life awakened me to a stark revelation: not paying women what we deserve is a human rights issue.

As legislators on the right work doggedly to eradicate Roe and reproductive autonomy, women’s inability to earn our due income jeopardizes our livelihood and agency. Our choices are narrowed and we are left without agency and almost entirely dependant upon men. It’s almost as if that’s the point.

To address pay inequity with parity is to also address women’s social determinants of health and subsequent comorbidities, poverty rates for children, and community infrastructures that require social safety nets. When women are able to earn equitable salaries and fair wages, we are able to build healthier lives that have positive residual effects on our families and communities. For women who are caregivers, higher earnings mean more quality choices for things like childcare, caretaking facilities for older loved ones, and even fertility needs to support growing families. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, putting more money in women’s pockets vis-a-vis equal pay would lower poverty rates in several states across the country.

Not addressing pay inequity is to willfully neglect the social safety net of more than half the population.

So, how do we individually and collectively address potential income disparities? 

• For employers: be transparent with employees about “the business of your business” and how financial decisions are being made. Offer insight on the impact of business decisions and employees' earning potential. Transparency also includes making visible salary bands for all positions within your organization and company. Provide context on what it means to be within the salary band and how promotions correlate with movement across the salary bands.
• For women-identifying employees, conduct an annual salary assessment to understand where you are within the market for your industry. Being equipped with this knowledge allows you to determine whether or not you are in danger of being underpaid and to have conversations about promotions or raises with context. Also, be mindful of looking at your salary in a vacuum. When evaluating your earning potential, consider your entire salary package which could include health insurance, bonuses, equity, profit-sharing, vacation and sick days, FSA or HSA options, transportation stipends, retirement plans with employer matching, and professional development funds to advance your skills. Your take-home salary is only one piece of the puzzle. Your entire offerings package can help build a strong financial foundation.
• For men: use your voice and advocacy to protect your female colleagues, peers, friends and family from being inequitably paid. Be champions for pay transparency in your workplace and create safe spaces for women to share their experiences.

The movement for pay parity is not just about money. Equitable pay for doing the same work as our peers provides women with the respect and dignity we deserve in our workplaces and in society. In the words of Ellevest’s CEO Sallie Krawcheck, nothing bad ever happens when women have more money.