BPW/USA Promotes Wage Clubs for Equal Pay Day

BPW/USA Promotes Wage Clubs for Equal Pay Day
New collaborative grassroots movement launched nationwide

Washington, DC, April 25, 2006– Today members in 1,300 Local Organizations of Business and Professional Women/USA (BPW/USA) will mobilize across the country to recognize Equal Pay Day, a day to draw attention to and encourage education about the wage gap. At a press conference in Washington, DC, BPW/USA and other national grassroots organizations will announce the launch of WAGE Clubs- a new nationwide grassroots movement designed to increase awareness of pay equity and finally close the wage gap.

WAGE Clubs are formed to mobilize groups of women to discuss the wage gap and to obtain the tools, support and momentum they need to get even at work. These groups meet regularly throughout the year and the initiative was created by the WAGE Project. BPW/USA has already created over ten WAGE Clubs in Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Indiana and Massachusetts. WAGE Club materials are available on BPW/USA’s web site in the Policy section.

“BPW/USA is thrilled to be part of this collaborative, grassroots initiative that addresses the issue of wage disparities throughout the year,” stated Roslyn Ridgeway, president of BPW/USA. “WAGE Clubs empower workingwomen and provide the tools necessary to educate and inform the public about the wage gap. They allow BPW members and workingwomen the opportunity to organize and impact each other and policies,” added Ridgeway.

Equal Pay Day is held annually in April to signify the point that women’s wages equalize with their male counterparts’ from the previous year. According to the 2005 Census Bureau, full-time working women, on average, earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterpart. For minority women the wage gap worsens as African American women make 66 cents, Latinas make 55 cents and Asian American women make 80 cents. The wage gap costs the average American full-time workingwoman between $700,000 and $2 million over the course of her lifetime, according to economist Evelyn Murphy, president of the WAGE Project.

Pay equity is a top legislative priority for BPW/USA because it significantly impacts workingwomen and their families,” said Deborah Frett, CEO of BPW/USA. “The wage gap not only affects women throughout their working lives, but also follows them into retirement defining their families’ financial future. It is high time for workplaces, policymakers and workingwomen to collaborate to narrow and eliminate this gap,” noted Frett.

At today’s press conference Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will speak about their respective pay equity legislation before Congress supported by BPW/USA. They will also be joined by Roslyn Ridgeway, president, Business and Professional Women/USA, Evelyn Murphy, president, The WAGE Project, and author of Getting Even: Why Women Don’t Get Paid Like Men—and What to Do About It, Annie Houle, founder, The Maine WAGE Project and the New England Regional Representative to the YWCA National Advocacy Board and Michele Leber, chair, National Committee on Pay Equity.

For information on WAGE Clubs and BPW/USA’s legislative priorities, visit www.bpwusa.org.

Founded in 1919, Business and Professional Women/USA promotes equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education and information. With 1,300 Local Organizations across the country and members in every congressional district, BPW/USA is the leading advocate for millions of workingwomen on work-life effectiveness and workplace equity issues. BPW Local Organizations provide members with professional development programs, networking, participation in grassroots activities and opportunities to support scholarships.