April is filled with a bunch of cool national holidays that you probably didn't even know existed! Ever hear of National Rubber Eraser Day (April 15) or National Raisin Day (April 30)? Those are just a couple of the silly holidays. But, on a more serious note, have you ever heard of National Equal Pay Day?
National Equal Pay Day is coming up this April 4, 2017! The purpose of this day is to raise awareness for the wage gap that still exists between men and women. Most people have no idea of this issue. However, this discrepancy came to the attention of the National Committee on Pay Equity when they established this day over two decades ago.
Women work just as hard as men in their occupations (maybe even harder!!!), yet only make $0.79 for every dollar men make. So for everyone who believes that women aren't marginalized in any way and think we are "over-dramatic feminists," think again because the stats don't lie. Something interesting about the specific date of National Equal Pay Day is that it represents how far into the next year women have to work extra to make equal to a male's earnings in the previous year.
The gender wage gap is especially evident in sports. Five female professional soccer players have filed a lawsuit due to this gender discrimination. Similarly, the highest paid WBNA player makes 1/5 of what the lowest paid NBA players make.
Why do men make more money than women? The answer is...well there really isn't a good answer. Wear red and get #EqualPayDay trending on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
