Among the many holidays celebrated in America every year, one should be of particular interest to women and those who care about women. This year, Equal Pay Day will be noted on March 14th. Originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996, its’ goal is to demonstrate the differences in what women are paid for their work, and for the products and services they buy/consume compared to men. While California women fare much better than those who live in many other states, there remain discrepancies.

The Global Gender Gap Report 2022 stated only five of the 146 countries evaluated achieved a score of .80, shy of the goal of 1.0 that indicates full wage parity. The gender pay gap is one of the most powerful points leading to overall gender-based wealth inequalities. Kim Elsesser, writing in Fortune, stated pointedly women are still earning about 80 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.

But an additional point of discrimination is the countrywide “Pink Tax” – products that are taxed more highly when designed exclusively for women, such as tampons. “The pink tax is blatantly discriminatory, affecting women from all walks of life from the cradle to the grave,” according to its’ sponsor Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California. A similar tax has been eliminated in Australia, Canada, India and Rwanda.

One U.S. government study of 800 gender-specific products from nearly 100 brands found definitive differences. Personal care products for women were 13% more costly than similar products for men and adult clothing was 7 – 8% more costly. Conclusion: “women are paying thousands of dollars more over the course of their lives to purchase similar products as men.”

AB-1287, authored and spearheaded by California Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, passed in California and was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, going into effect January 1, 2023. Unfortunately, Rep. Kevin Kiley was absent for that vote.

In an interview on CBS8, it was noted “women in California pay, on average, $2,381 more every year for the same goods and services as their male counterparts” which equals, over the course of a lifetime, approximately $188,000.

Stores/companies will need to bring their products and marketing into compliance. Fines of $10,000 to $100,00 per incident should prove effective reasons to adhere to this new law.

Congratulations to California for this legislation!

Liz Moore, Editor