As ridiculous as it seems, there’s still a big wage gap between women and men. California took action to change that on Tuesday, when Governor Jerry Brown signed a law that targets the gender wage gap and requires employers to prove that a man’s higher salary is based on legitimate factors other than gender.
The law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, also allows workers to ask about other people’s salaries and not face consequences for doing so, although employers don’t have to make that information available. The law allows workers to sue if they find out someone doing similar work is being payed more than them.
Brown signed the bill at Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in Richmond, CA and said, “The inequities that have plagued our state and have burdened women forever are slowly being resolved with this kind of bill.”
Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson formulated the bill, The Fair Pay Act. The Los Angeles Times reported that the California Chamber of Commerce and most state Repulican lawmakers also support the bill. According to ABC News, Senate Minority Leader Jean Fuller, R-Bakersield, said the law creates a balance between the interest of employers and women in the workplace—making this a law everyone can live with.
Oftentimes, women don’t even realize that thay are being paid less than men in similar positions. Hopefully this law will spark an interest in women to inquire about their salaries and make a difference!
Governor Brown is also contemplating a law that would prevent employers from using previous salary information to justify women being paid less than men. He seems to be taking multiple steps in the right direction.