Pay Equity in South Carolina - Part 1 of HSB’s DEI Series
Join HSB’s Perry MacLennan and Brandi Parrish Ellison from the South Carolina Women’s Rights & Empowerment Network (WREN) on August 19, 2021, to discuss pay equity issues for South Carolina businesses. This will be the first installment of HSB’s DEI Webinar Series.
WREN assists employers in tackling gender diversity issues to improve the business of the employer as well as address gender inequalities in the workforce. WREN developed a resource for employers to address their workforce needs while improving their business through gender diversity - A Playbook for Advancing Gender Equity.
South Carolina continues to lag behind the majority of other states in the nation for wage gaps between men and women per a recent study ranking South Carolina 40th in the nation. According to the study, South Carolina women earn 23% less than their male counterparts. Black women earn $0.55 on every $1.00 a male earns in South Carolina. Women earn less than men in nearly all occupations, according to the most recent data from the Department of Labor. The Census reports the gap varies depending on race, education and whether the women are married or have children. The gap increases as education increases.
Pay equity was selected for this month to highlight Women’s Equality Day, designated by Congress in 1973. Celebrated on August 26th, Women’s Equality Day commemorates the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote and to bring awareness to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality. Women’s Equality Day continues to highlight the struggle for equality in the workplace.
If you have questions about this topic or other employment law matters, please contact Chris or the HSB Employment Law practice team.
Learn more about our DEI Webinar Series and register for an upcoming webinar here.
