A holiday observed around the world on January 11th is International Parity at Work Day. What is the purpose of this holiday? It is a day to promote equitable pay for all workers, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Currently, women of the world earn only about 84% of what men earn on average.

For women who are immigrants, people of color, or who practice a religion different from the main religion of the dominant culture, there can be even more disparity. That is why it is important for everyone to stand up for parity in society, and a great place to start is in the workplace.

The History of International Parity at Work Day

This holiday can be traced back to January 11th, 2017. This is when the inaugural event in London featured seminars, performances, and dialogues all dedicated to raising awareness about pay discrimination.

This international event included not only the business communities of the United Kingdom but also those of Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the United States. It has been observed annually ever since.

Some Important Facts About Pay Disparity

Below are some important facts about pay disparity that we think everyone should know. While covering this holiday, we wanted to present our readers with statistics and facts that would illustrate the scope of pay disparity in the workplace.

We think that the following facts should do just that. Of course, there is a lot more that can be said on this subject, so we hope that the following points also inspire people to do more research for themselves on the topic.

• According to 2020 data, women earned approximately 82.3 cents for every dollar that a man earned.
• In 1973, women earned only about 57 cents per dollar earned by a man.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has set back women’s labor force participation more than 30 years.
• Due to the pandemic, women’s labor force participation rate dropped to 55.8% in 2021, which is about the same rate as labor force participation for women in 1987.
• In over 350 different occupations, women earned significantly less than men.
• There are only a handful of occupations where women earn slightly more than men. One such area is in health care social work.

Observing International Parity at Work Day

The best way for people to observe International Parity at Work Day is by taking the time to network with others to discuss the issues of pay discrimination in the workplace. It is also a good day for businesses to come together to discuss the importance of offering equal pay to people who do the same job. People can spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #InternationalParityAtWorkDay on social media.