Promoting Equal Pay

In spite of ongoing legislation and discussions around the gap in gender pay, there is still a sizable difference between what men and women in the same industries are paid. In addition, sectors in which the workforce is predominantly made up of women continue to be among the lowest-paying industries. In fact, research shows that as the percentage of women in a given industry rises, the rate of pay declines proportionally. Although great attention has been paid to the gender pay gap and certain strides in the right direction have been made, a significant gap still exists. Here are three things that can be done to address the gender pay gap.

1. Engage in better individual transparency

Traditionally, it has been considered taboo to discuss one's salary or financial status. Unfortunately, this social custom is part of what allows businesses to continue to engage in a wide range of compensation abuses. While there are certainly a number of legislative measures that can be taken to combat pay inequality, those measures can only go so far. Today, social media platforms give individuals and small groups a power they have not historically had. Social media platforms give individuals the ability to communicate directly with consumers who can, in turn, apply pressure to businesses to do a better job of addressing pay disparities.

2. Push for better enforcement of legislation

Simply passing laws doesn't do any good unless there are also agencies established to enforce them. After all, posting speed limits wouldn't do a lot of good without also providing law enforcement officers to patrol streets and highways to ensure those limits are being adhered to. Appointing committees and establishing task forces to oversee and regulate businesses and companies is critical to making any type of real change happen.

3. Establish real financial penalties for failures to comply

Once again, simply passing laws is not enough to ensure that businesses comply with them. After all, how many people do you think would actually comply with speed limits if officers simply pulled over speeders and told them they were driving too fast? Without genuine and legitimate penalties for a failure to comply with laws, rules and regulations there is little reason for anyone to actually comply with them.