March 12, 2024: Equal Pay Day

WHEREAS, more than 50 years after the passage of the federal Equal Pay Act, women in Michigan continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay; and,

WHEREAS, according to A Window Into the Wage Gap: What’s Behind It and How to Close It, a January 2024 fact sheet from the National Women’s Law Center, the gender pay gap exists at all levels of work in almost every occupation, cutting across all education levels, age groups, and demographics, and widening significantly for women of color and women with disabilities; and,

WHEREAS,  as a whole, women in the U.S. who work full-time, year-round are typically paid only 84 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts; and,

WHEREAS, nationally, for every dollar paid to their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women are paid only 93 cents, Black women are paid only 69 cents, Native women are paid only 59 cents, and Latinas are paid only 57 cents; and,

WHEREAS, thiswage gap typically means an annual loss of $22,120 for Black women, $30,450 for Latinas, $28,747 for Native women, and $4,690 for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women; and,

WHEREAS, mothers who work full-time, year-round are typically paid only 74 cents for every dollar paid to fathers, with an annual loss of about $18,000 compared to fathers; and, 

WHEREAS, based on today’s wage gap, a woman who works full-time, year-round could lose $399,600 over a 40-year career, a lifetime gap that only grows when examined by race and ethnicity; and, 

WHEREAS, a lifetime of lower pay means older women face an overall wealth gap, with less income to save for retirement and less income counted in a Social Security or pension benefit formula; and, 

WHEREAS, the public and private sectors can implement fair pay equity policies without undue costs of hardship; and,

WHEREAS, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs while enhancing the American economy; and,

WHEREAS, Tuesday, March 12, 2024, marks the days into the year it takes for all US women on average to earn what all US men did the previous year;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim March 12, 2024, as Equal Pay Day in Michigan.