Illinois e-News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 8, 2022

Contact:

Paul Cicchini 217-785-1719

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) and community partners across the state are recognizing September 8th as Mom’s Equal Pay Day, a day that shines a light on the pay inequality between moms and dads by marking how far into the year moms must work to earn what dads did in the previous year.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has found that moms are paid 50 cents for every dollar paid to dads. This wage gap has a disproportionate impact on moms of color as a recent survey conducted by Equal Rights Advocates shows over 50% of Black and Latina women struggle with increased caregiving responsibilities and debt, particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This “motherhood penalty” can mean that moms have lower lifetime earnings.

“A core tenet of the Illinois Department of Labor’s mission is promoting and protecting the wages of workers in Illinois. Pay transparency can help shrink the gender pay gap. Through implementing and enforcing recent amendments to our state Equal Pay Act, the Department hopes to promote pay transparency and equity,” said Illinois Department of Labor Acting Director Jane Flanagan.

This year IDOL is also partnering with Women Employed, Arise Chicago, Man-Tra-Con Corp., Shriver Center on Poverty Law, and YWCA of the Quad Cities to raise awareness of pay equity rights with a particular focus on low-income women of color through a multi-faceted media and outreach campaign made possible by a Fostering Access, Rights and Equity (FARE) grant from the Women’s Bureau of the United States Department of Labor.

Read more about the FARE Grant partnership here.