1. Closing the Gender
Pay Gap:
Equal Pay Day
2013
1 www.equalpayday.org

2. Why does
Equal Pay matter?
www.equalpayday.org

3. Positive benefits
of closing the pay gap
Closing the gender pay gap has benefits for employers and workers
• Creates quality jobs
• Attracts the best and most talented workers
• Creates a positive working environment
• Increases productivity and competitiveness
Closing the gender pay gap makes the economy more profitable
• Women play a vital role in Europe’s employment and growth.
• Their skills and talents are necessary for economic and social development
Closing the gender pay gap creates a more equal society
• Valuing women’s skills can improve their economic independence.
• Fewer women will be in poverty, particularly upon retirement
3 www.equalpayday.org

4. When women earn more,
they support the economy
When women earn more, they can spend more
• Women are the main purchaser in the family – their spendings
support the economy.
Paying women more leads to an increase in
productivity
• higher productivity is in the interests of the whole economy.
• A UK study suggests that a decrease in the gender pay gap
would significantly increase productivity and that £23b would be
added to the UK economy. A study done in New Zealand by
Goldman Sachs estimates that closing the gender pay gap would
boost GDP by 10%.
Reduce the gender pay gap and more money
will be spend in the economy!
www.equalpayday.org

5. When women earn the same as men
both feel better
When women earn the same as
men, both feel better.
• They are equal and the financial burden is
split equally between men and women.
It takes away the burden from men
• to be the main breadwinner. Women and
men look each other eye to eye in the family.
Women need to be valued equally
• An engaged workforce is a happy workforce
and it is more productive than a demotivated
one.
www.equalpayday.org

6. When women earn more,
the whole family benefits
A woman is more
This is good for
likely to spend her
everyone in the
money on her
family.
family
When women earn
They help the
more money, they
next generation
spend more on the
to have a better
education of their
future.
kids.
When women earn
more, they can This will reduce
spend more poverty at
money for pension retirement.
funds
www.equalpayday.org

7. This is what we need:
Equal Pay for to empower
Work of Equal women and
Value their families
for a better to increase the
future of the productivity of
next generation our economies.
www.equalpayday.org

8. What is
Equal Pay Day?
www.equalpayday.org

9. What is Equal Pay Day (EPD)?
► Equal Pay Day symbolizes the day until which
women have to work longer to earn the same salary
as men earned the year before.
► Equal Pay Day is a calculated day depending on the
pay gap of each country.
► The goal is that Equal Pay day will be earlier each
year according to the development of the pay gap in
the country.
► At Equal Pay day there are activities and events in
each country to raise awareness for this still existing
pay gap.
9 www.equalpayday.org

10. The Goals of Equal Pay Day
Making the Through The goal is:
To force “unknown media Equal Pay Day
Raising governments and illegal“ coverage will be earlier
awareness and pay gap a the pay gap each year as
and companies to topic in the becomes a the pay gap
mobilization change their media and subject of decreases or
wage policy in the public even
companies discussion disappears
10 www.equalpayday.org

11. How to calculate the date
(figures of Switzerland as example)
Average Additional
Pay gap Working Working
(e.g. days days (49) =
19,3 %) per year* 11th March
(225)
* Depending on
number of holidays
in the country
11 www.equalpayday.org

12. The symbol of Equal Pay Day:
A Red bag
 On Equal Pay Day women and supporting men wear a red bag
 Red stands for red numbers.
 The red bag stands for red numbers in women‘s pockets.
France
Spain
Germany
Italy
12 www.equalpayday.org

13. BPW is driving Equal
Pay Day forward
www.equalpayday.org

14. Activities and events by BPW Federations
and Clubs in BPW Europe in 23 countries in 2013!
14 www.equalpayday.org

15. BPW Germany is the leading
Equal Pay Day Federation
 Started in 2008 with 40
events/activities
 With 760
events/activities in 2012
 Financial support
through federal ministry
of family affairs
 Thematic focuses:
2012: Composition of
wages
2013: Wage setting in
health professions
15 www.equalpayday.org

16. Webpages for more information:
www.equalpayday.org
16 www.equalpayday.org

17. Equal Pay Day in
Argentina
www.equalpayday.org

18. POWER OF WOMEN BOOK
STRATEGIC
ALLIANCE
Mariela Dabbah is an award winning
author, speaker and consultant on
education, careers and women's
empowerment. Regularly contributes to
television stations nationwide including
CNN, Univision and Telemundo, on radio
and online platforms such as Huffington
Post, AOL Latino, and Fox News. He has
presented at some of the largest U.S.
corporations such as Procter and
Gamble, Exxon /
Mobil, McDonald's, Citigroup and at
universities such as
Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Columbia. She
is the founder of Latinos in College, an NGO
dedicated to increasing the number of Latino
students who graduate from universities in
the United States. She graduated in Arts at
the University of Buenos Aires and lives in
New York since 1988. www.equalpayday.org

19. First latinamerica campaign
BPW EQUAL PAY DAY
RED SHOES CAMPAIGN
CONGRESSMAN
FRANCISCO QUINTANA
www.equalpayday.org

20. LEARNING & HAVING FUN
 HUMOR IS GOOD  DEBATE IS GOOD
TO LEARN TO ENRICH
www.equalpayday.org

21. TWO CAMPAIGNS
ONE MISSION
EMPOWER WOMEN TO
LEAD BUSINESS
www.equalpayday.org

22. First results and
good practices
www.equalpayday.org

23. Equal Pay Day activities show results!
 Those countries who started early, now see the
progress (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
 Pay gap has been reduced in these countries
after 3 - 4 years and Equal Pay Day is earlier
now.
 Equal Pay is regularly in the media in the EPD
countries and awareness has increased.
23 www.equalpayday.org

24. Equal Pay Day shows first results:
it is earlier in some countries.
Dates of the first EPD
countries in 2011
Dates in 2012 were earlier
24 www.equalpayday.org

25. Good practices for Equal Pay Day
 The creativity for campaigns and
activities in BPW federations is
amazing.
 The more creative they are, the more
interesting to the media.
 Campaigns with humor are very
attractive for the media
(France, Estonia).
 Financial support is sometimes granted
by a ministry or the EU.
 Cooperation with other women
organisations, trade-unions and trade
associations (Germany)
 The more collaborating partners the
more activities.
25 www.equalpayday.org

26. Tools for companies
 There are tools in some countries to analyse the
salaries of women and men within companies (with
more than 50 employees)
 For Example
– Equal Salary (in Switzerland to be paid)
 Companies receive certification and label
– Logib (in Switzerland and Germany for free)
 Encourage companies to use these tools to
reduce the pay gap internally and to become
an attractive employer for women!
26 www.equalpayday.org

27. Organize Equal Pay Day Events
2013 in your country!
Start an “Equal Pay Day” in all countries worldwide!
Promote to wear a red bag at your Equal Pay Day
Inform us about your planned activities and
announce them on your website.
Send us pictures and text for the EPD website
Together we can make the change!
27 www.equalpayday.org

28. Contacts and further information
concerning Equal Pay Day
and BPW
Sabine Schmelzer
Regional Coordinator Europe
coordinator@bpw-europe.org
www.bpw-europe.org
www.equalpayday.org