Hello ladies!

Yesterday was Equal Pay Day, which was started by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages.

According to NCPE, April 4 marks how far into 2017 women must work in order to make as much as men did in 2016. The occasion moved up eight days this year, marking a slight narrowing of the gender pay gap over 2016. According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in full-time jobs in the U.S. now make 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

So how did you spend Equal Pay Day? I spent a lot of time reading about why women are still paid less than men (“the motherhood penalty,” gender differences in how salary negotiations play out, employer bias, to name a few reasons). While equal pay for women is a national issue, local laws and economic factors also play an important role in the size of the gap.

In addition to reading, I also bought some Luna Bars (for 20 percent off!). Why? Because starting April 4, hundreds of companies from coast to coast — from local coffee shops to international conglomerates — started offering 20 percent discounts to draw attention to the fact that women are paid, on average, 20 percent less than men.

Clif Bar & Company, makers of the Luna Bar, offered the 20 percent discount as part of a initiative started by LeanIn.Org called #20PercentCounts. LeanIn.Org partnered with its Lean In community leaders to bring #20PercentCounts to cities across the country. Hundreds of local and online businesses are offering 20 percent discounts on everyday purchases to highlight the negative impact of gender wage inequalities.

“Equal pay is essential to the goal of gender equality,” said Sheryl Sandberg, one of America’s few self-made women billionaires, in a statement on the launch of #20PercentCounts. “This issue speaks to how we value women’s labor, knowledge, time, training, and so much more. In short, it’s about women’s worth. There’s nothing more fundamental than that.”

In addition to 20 percent off Luna energy bars (the sale runs through April 11 on its website), Lyft also donated 20 percent of ride fares on April 4 to organizations that serve women and families. And Salesforce, a leader in promoting gender equality in the tech community, made a donation to the cost of #20PercentCounts in-store signage, online advertising and events for the participating companies.

There are also many local retail and service companies offering 20 percent discounts this week. A full list of participating companies and other Equal Pay Day initiatives can be found on LeanIn.Org.

What are your thoughts on Equal Pay Day? We’d love to hear them! Please drop me a line at mcampanelli@napco.com and let me know!

Enjoy!
Melissa Campanelli
Co-Founder
Women in Retail Leadership Circle