'Pay equity' is the perfect Mother's Day gift. Employers asked to take pledge. | Opinion
The statistics are staggering. For every $1 earned by a man, women in the U.S. earn 83 cents.
The wage gap is even more substantial for women of color compared to white men.
Black women in the U.S. typically earn only 63 cents for every dollar paid to their white male counterparts, and Latina women in the U.S. earn only 58 cents.
And these aren’t the only issues women in the workplace face. Lack of paid leave and childcare are also major obstacles.
This Mother’s Day, as we pause to appreciate the mother figures in our lives, let’s also consider what we can do to address vital issues like biases, the gender wage gap and paid leave.
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In late 2017, the Columbus Women’s Commission, an advisory body to Mayor Andrew J. Ginther led by First Lady Shannon Ginther working to advance the economic well-being of women in our community, launched the Columbus Commitment.
In the voluntary employer-led initiative, employers agree to:
learn about the economic impact of pay inequity and how implicit bias contributes to the issue,
review objective information to understand how hiring, promotional, and pay practices may lead to gender and racial disparities,
invest time and talent to address gender- and race-based wage disparity by implementing solutions,
share best practices and successes with other organizations.
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At Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, where women make up 84% of the workforce, signing the commitment was an easy decision. Currently, there are 300 adopters of the commitment in the Columbus region.
While this is a step in the right direction, there are so many more businesses and organizations who can make a difference by signing the pledge.
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Valuing the voices is one of our company’s core values, so when an employee pitched a policy change idea regarding paid parental leave, we listened. In February, we launched a revised policy that put employees first.
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We now offer up to 14 weeks of paid parental leave at 100% of individual salary inclusive of birther, non-birther and adoptive parents.
Previously, short term disability was available only for birth parents, and also at reduced pay after exhausting vacation time. Those policies created too many barriers for employees to take the needed time off.
We also adjusted other time-off policies, separating sick time needs and changing bereavement leave to encompass loss as viewed by the employee, whether that be a parental figure who is not a blood relative or pregnancy loss. Policy changes like these pay off.
When employees feel heard and valued, companies benefit from higher workplace engagement, performance and employee retention. When it comes to issues women face in the workplace, we can all make a difference.
Whether you are an employee proposing a new policy or are in leadership and sign the Columbus Commitment on behalf of your business or organization, it’s up to all of us to stand up for women’s rights and work together to address these disparities.
Jennifer McCallum is chief people officer at Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Where to sign the Columbus Commitment for pay equity for working women
