Equal Pay Day

[3] The symbolic day was first observed in 1996[1] by the National Committee on Pay Equity, a coalition of women's and civil rights organizations, labor unions, professional associations and individuals working to eliminate sex and race based wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity.

Various explanations for the remaining 25% to 40% have been suggested, including women's lower willingness and ability to negotiate salaries and discrimination.

In 1963, John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into effect, calling it a "significant step forward" for women in the workforce.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, origin, color, religion, or sex.

President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restores some protections against discrimination that had been stripped in a 2007 Supreme Court case, gave incentives to employers to make their payrolls fairer.

[9] According to the European Commission direct discrimination either does not cause any gender wage differences or only explains a small part of it.

[12] In Germany, Equal Pay Day also helped inspire the creation of Equal Care Day, a symbolic event dedicated to creating awareness of the lack of appreciation and unfair distribution of care work in society.

[16] The date was specifically chosen to represent the additional 62 days from the end of the previous financial year that women have to work to earn the same as men.

For example Equal Pay Day in Czech Republic is observed each year as a major two-day event involving over 2,000 people with an extensive educational program.