September 18 — International Equal Pay Day
2021-09-18
News Department
Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value
In all regions, women are paid less than men, with the global gender pay gap estimated at 23 per cent. Because the historically and structurally unequal power relations between women and men persist, poverty and the disadvantages and inequities in access to resources and opportunities limit the capabilities of women and girls, and the work of achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls continues to be hindered. Progress in closing this gap has been slow. Although equal pay for men and women is widely recognized, it is difficult to apply this idea in practice.
To ensure that no one is left behind, the Sustainable Development Goals are committed to the need to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. In addition, the Sustainable Development Goals promote decent work and economic growth by seeking full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including young people and persons with disabilities, as well as equal pay for work of equal value. Mainstreaming a gender perspective is essential to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Achieving equal pay is an important milestone for human rights and gender equality. This requires the efforts of the entire international community, and there is more work to be done. The United Nations, including UN Women and the International Labour Organization (ILO), invites Member States and civil society, women’s and community-based organizations, feminist groups, as well as businesses and workers’ and employers’ organizations, to promote equal pay for work of equal value and the empowerment of women and girls.
International Equal Pay Coalition
On-site Celebration
This year’s celebration will focus on the efforts of key labour-market actors to ensure that equal pay remains central to the global response to the pandemic and to fully recognize women’s contributions to the recovery from COVID-19. The event aims to achieve renewed commitment to closing the gender pay gap across regions and sectors, so as to move forward in a better way.
The on-site event will be held on Friday, September 17, 2021
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (USA)
Source: Pacific Rim Institute for Development and Education (P.R.I.D.E.)