Equal pay day in Indiana State
Any woman, who would like to start her professional career, is likely to face various challenges. While some of them, such as gender discrimination and harassment are punishable by law, subtle and widely spread techniques remain largely unnoticed by the general public. Those who grow up professionally to the level of middle management, will most definitely face a so-called glass ceiling, which stops their further career progression. However, regardless of a particular position, almost all female employees face discrimination in terms of payment.
As of now, women only earn 75-77% of what men do (Wane), and this is a long-lasting tendency nationwide. After the Democrat administration passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, female employees gained an opportunity to sue their employers for imposing unfair wages. Despite the fact that it became a powerful tool for fighting for equal rights, the enforcement of such legislation requires public support. This is the moment when the nation in general, and the state of Indiana, in particular, established the Equal Pay Day.
This day, which is celebrated in the second decade of April in numerous companies and public institutions across Indiana, signifies the process of increasing the wages of female employees to the level of their male counterparts. It is indeed a notable and successful celebration, and has been such for several years in a row, yet it indicates even greater problems that still exist in the field of gender equality.
First of all, the holiday points out that the present wages of female employees are equal to those of the male ones from the last year, so it appears to be an important, yet delayed action tool.
Secondly, despite being an acclaimed event, this day is not yet being celebrated by all the companies.
Thirdly, the very fact that we need this kind of day shows that the public does not have enough political will to make equal pay a universal and comprehensive practice.
References:
Equal Pay Day rally aims to draw attention to wage inequality. Wane, April 12, 2016. Web. Retrieved from: http://wane.com/2016/04/12/equal-pay-day-rally-aims-to-draw-attention-to-wage-inequality/
