Why I'm Wearing Red Today

By Liz Wing on 04/28/2009 @ 08:30 AM

I wear red to represent that women are “in the red” with their pay. Today marks how long into the current year American women have to work to catch up with what was earned by men just in the previous year. When it takes us over 4 extra months to earn what men earn, we are in the red.

Today, women earn just 77.8 cents for every dollar earned by men. And the wage gap is even greater for women of color: 68.7 cents for African American women, just 59 cents for Latinas. When each paycheck reflects a disparity due to our gender, we are in the red.

Have you tried our wage gap calculator tool yet, to see how much unequal pay is costing you? Think about what that missing income could mean to you and your family.

We also have all kinds of resources available in our Equal Pay Action Kit , including templates for Letters to the Editors, fact sheets on fair pay, and actions you can take for Equal Pay Day.

Are you wearing red? Are you blogging or twittering for Equal Pay Day? Join supporters across the country by raising your voice! Share your story with us in the comments section. What are you doing for Equal Pay Day?

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