LEAD Recognizes Equal Pay Day

American women working full-time are paid 83 percent* of what men are paid, according to 2016 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a national average—in South Dakota the gap is even larger. The last report from 2015 ranked South Dakota 32nd in the nation with a gender pay gap of 78 percent.

This means that South Dakotan women make about $9,000 less than their male counterparts on average—an amount that is recognized on Equal Pay Day. Since it can be hard to conceptualize how much this pay gap amounts to, Equal Pay Day marks the extra amount of full-time work a female employee would need to work to make up for the deficit in pay: just over 3 months!

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This year Equal Pay Day was held on Tuesday, April 4, and LEAD held a social event to bring recognition. Kelley Smith, a reporter at KSFY news, covered the story, including comments from attendees and LEAD co-founder Susan Kroger. Read the full story, Gender pay gap in South Dakota, on KSFY.

The Gender Pay Gap is real. As the Economic Policy Institute reports, “The data on the gender wage gap are remarkably clear and (unfortunately) consistent about the scale of the gap. In simple terms, no matter how you measure it, there is a gap.”

ABOUT LEAD SOUTH DAKOTA

LEAD South Dakota is a registered 501c(4) nonprofit.  LEAD (Leaders Engaged And Determined) is a grassroots organization aimed at bringing awareness to issues facing South Dakota, the United States, and abroad. LEAD exists to foster a community of individuals who empower and encourage women to be actively involved in all stages of the political process in order to effect positive change for women and families in South Dakota.

LEAD is not affiliated with any political party or organization. We are welcoming and inclusive of all people, regardless of race, age, religion, ethnicity, national origin, color, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, or citizenship.