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Today, April 2, marks Equal Pay Day 2019. This date is significant and symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what their white male counterpart earned in the previous year. The gender pay gap in Ohio is the 15th worst in the nation. Still in Ohio, women, on average, earn .78 cents for every dollar earned by a man– that’s below the national average of .80 cents. This is worse for women of color. That’s why the Columbus Women’s Commission continues to focus on this issue, growing the Columbus Commitment through new adopters and offering resources and support for addressing the gender and race-based wage gap. We understand the fight to close pay disparities between men and women must include women of all races and we must continue to work toward 100% pay equity by not only starting the conversation but taking action - at work and with employers, as well as within our own homes and local communities. There are many opportunities to bring awareness to the gender and race-based pay gap issue - see how you can join us and take action too!
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Volunteer at a local non-profit that supports women in our community
Ideas to get you Started: Dress for Success, New Directions Career Center, YWCA, CelebrateOne, Amethyst, MaryHaven, Community Shelter Board, Planned Parenthood
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Be a Social Media Ambassador –as part of a national effort join the Social Media storm today. Don’t forget to use #equalpayday and #womenofcbus!
- Has your employer signed the Commitment? Encourage your organization to sign on to the Columbus Commitment and Join over 180 local employers who have joined us in this journey! Signing the pledge allows your company to access our lunch and learns and our May 21st Signature to Action learning event!
We know that this persistent, pervasive wage gap is driven in part by a lack of workplace policies that support women. When we launched the Columbus Commitment that is exactly what we intended to tackle & dismantle, together, along with our Columbus Commitment Adopters. Today, we hosted our fourth Lunch & Learn where adopters are invited to learn more about topic areas to encourage gender equity. The Kirwan Institute shared their newest research report, A Workplace for the Modern Woman. This report emphasizes strategies that organizational leadership can implement as part of a comprehensive strategic plan to create fair and equitable workplaces. We also heard from Kelley Griesmer, President & CEO of The Woman’s Fund of Central Ohio on their upcoming release of their newest research project, Assets for Equity: Building Wealth for Women in Central Ohio exploring the Gender & Racial Wealth Gap in central Ohio.
Read the Kirwan Report here.
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The Columbus Women’s Commission co-hosted a Women in the Trades learning session in March. This event was intended to educate and encourage participation by women & minorities to pursue careers in the trades. Attendance was at standing-room only, about 150 people. The program included a robust panel of four women currently in the trades, sharing their experiences, challenges and stories while encouraging women who are interested to pursue these careers. Following the panel the women were encouraged to visit the 15 resource tables that represented the variety of trades as well as organizations such as COTA and Action for Children to connect women with resources that alleviate the barriers of pursuing a career in the trades (ex: Child care, transportation, etc.).
To watch the program & panel, click HERE.
Please give a warm welcome to our new Gender Equity Advisor, Sundeepti Jindal! Sundeepti comes to us with a rich background in policy and research. She most recently worked in the gender equity field at The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio and has also worked at the Crane Center focusing on early childhood education. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University and we are excited to have her as part of the Columbus Women’s Commission staff. Sundeepti can be reached at SUJindal@columbus.gov.
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To date, 184 Columbus businesses, non-profits, and public sector employers have signed The Columbus Commitment: Achieving Pay Equity. Recent new adopters include:
Hardlines Design Company
Rusty Bucket Restaurant
WGU
Thank you to these organizations for committing to address the gender & race-based wage gap! Is your employer committed to closing the gender and race-based wage gap? Join us by adopting The Columbus Commitment today!
Equal Pay Day Social Media Storm – Today!
We invite you to participate in a national social media storm to start the conversation surrounding Equal Pay Day. Participate by using the hashtags #EqualPayDay and #CBUSWomen.
Construction Trades Career Fair—April 4th
The Columbus Building Trades and ApprenticeOhio are hosting a free informational career fair for students to learn more about career opportunities in the trades. This event is open to any high school students& young adults in the Columbus area who are interested in the construction industry. For more information about the event, click HERE
The Women’s Fund Wealth Gap Research Report – April 24th
The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio in partnership with The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has commissioned a research report, Assets for Equity: Building Wealth for Women in Central Ohio. The gender wealth gap, exacerbated by a deeper racial wealth gap, goes far beyond wage inequality and is a much more comprehensive framework for understanding a women’s financial security over her lifetime. This report is unprecedented as it's the first look at the gender and racial wealth gap at the local level in Ohio. Join the Women’s Fund on April 24th at the Columbus Metropolitan Club Forum for the unveiling of their findings. To learn more and get tickets, click HERE.
Columbus Commitment: From Signature to Action – May 21st
On May 21st, the Columbus Women’s Commission will be holding a best practices half-day conference for organizations who have signed the Columbus Commitment: Achieving Pay Equity. The purpose of this event is to share best practices from experts and learn from one another about how to address the issue of pay equity within their organizations, and take active, effective steps to reduce the wage gap.
This is an invite only event for companies who have signed the Columbus Commitment, so if your organization would like to attend – sign the pledge today! The Columbus Commitment: Achieving Pay Equity
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