ISU Anderson Center to observe Equal Pay Day; will host information session

The Idaho State University Janet C. Anderson Gender Resource Center has announced Idaho State University’s observance of Equal Pay Day.

The public is invited to an information session on gender pay equity sponsored by Idaho State University Professional Women (ISUPW).  The event will be held on Tuesday, April 28, in Suite B of the Rendezvous Complex on the Pocatello campus of ISU.  This event will feature David Miller, director of ISU's Office of Human Resources and Barbara Adamcik, ISU associate vice president for Academic Affairs, who will speak to the issue of pay equity on campus.

Light refreshments sponsored by ISUPW will be served. This event is co-sponsored by ISU Department of Human Resources and the Pocatello branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW).  

Equal Pay Day is a national movement highlighting wage inequity with regard to gender.  In order to match men's earnings for 2008, women have to work from January 2008 to April 2009 — an extra four months, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE). In recognition of this inequity, Equal Pay Day will be marked on April 28.  

Equal Pay Day was originated by the NCPE in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages. The day, observed on a Tuesday in April, symbolizes how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. (Tuesday is the day on which women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous week.) Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. The wage gap is even greater for most women of color.

The Anderson Center’s mission is to raise awareness and encourage dialogue about gender-related issues on the Idaho State University campus. The Center serves as a focal point on campus for the consideration of gender issues, operating under the philosophy that increased awareness of gender-related issues is critical for the promotion of fair status of both men and women within our community and for the prevention of gender-related violence and inequality.