Minding the Gender Pay Gap
Luciana Paris, Devon Teuscher, and Cassandra Trenary in Jessica Lang’s “ZigZag”
Photo by Rosalie O’Connor
July 15th: Joffrey Academy’s Annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition, August 29th: Arts in Society Grant, September 10th: MacDowell Colony Residency, September 18th: Atlantic Center for the Arts Mentoring Artist-in-Residence Program
×Luciana Paris, Devon Teuscher, and Cassandra Trenary in Jessica Lang’s “ZigZag”
Photo by Rosalie O’Connor
The Gender Pay Gap is the disparity between salaries for men and women. This issue is widespread and persists even when controlling for factors like experience, industry, and job level. Take a look at the facts and figures to learn more about the severity of this issue in every field.
Depending on the study, women make an average of 81 or 82 cents on the dollar compared to men in the United States. The gap is often worse for women of color:
The median annual pay differential for women and men can be anywhere from $10,194.00 to $11,900.00 per year. The gender pay gap also varies by state, with the narrowest gaps being in New York (89%) and California (88%) and the widest gaps being in Louisiana (70%), Utah (70%), and West Virginia (72%). Zooming in on the arts, we see that women make $20,000 less annually than their male counterparts, according to the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP).
It is important to note that women aren’t the only ones negatively affected by the gap – when women enter a male-dominated field, wages tend to go down, even for men.
The consequences of the pay gap are such that women’s ability to attain long-term economic stability, earning potential overtime, economic mobility, and more is severely limited.
There are many ways to get involved in efforts to eliminate the gender pay gap. Write to your Members of Congress (MOCs) and encourage them to support legislative efforts related to pay equity – be aware of relevant legislation and advocacy that may accredit your assertions:
It is also crucial to talk to your peers about the gender pay gap. Efforts like this to bolster discourse are the first step in raising awareness of the reality of pay discrepancies. You can also support organizations like the Dance Data Project® who are advocating for closing the pay gap. Visit the DDP Resources page to learn more about organizations and studies that are keeping us informed and reinvigorating the essential dialogue surrounding this issue.