Commission on Women Marks Pay Equity Day

Joining a national effort, the Kentucky Commission on Women is raising awareness about the gender wage gap to mark Pay Equity Day.Census statistics indicate that full-time working women earn 77 cents on the dollar of what their male counterparts earn. In Kentucky, women earn 74 cents on the dollar and the gap is wider for African-American and Hispanic women.Commission Executive Director Eleanor Jordan says it is important elected officials advocate for equal pay."If the women don’t fare well in Kentucky, there are a lot of families that don’t fare well. And it lasts until a woman retires. When she’s a victim of discriminatory pay practices then that in turn affects her retirement money, her pension money and her Social Security benefits. So it’s kind of an ongoing problem," she says.The commission has created an online toolkit for businesses and organizations interested in hosting awareness activities.At its current pace, Kentucky won't have equal pay until the year 2026.