D&I

How COVID-19 is Exacerbating the Gender Pay Gap & Suggested Solutions

March 31st, 2020 marked Equal Pay Day, a day representing how far into the new year women have to work to earn the same amount of money men did the previous year. Almost four months into 2020 women finally equaled men’s 2019 earnings, due to the pervasive gender pay gap that results in women earning approximately 82 cents to every man’s dollar, which equates in a loss of $407,760 over a 40-year career. For women of color, this is a loss of nearly or over $1 million. "Equal Pay Day was established by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1966 to increase public awareness of the prominent gap between the wages of working men and women."

Equal Pay Day was established by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1966 to increase public awareness of the prominent gap between the wages of working men and women. In 1970, women earned roughly 59 cents for every dollar a man earned; half a century later this figure has increased by 23 cents.

The gender pay gap in many occupations has only been exacerbated by the onset of COVID-19 and it’s tumultuous effect on the economy, especially as women serve as a majority of workers who are considered essential, including healthcare workers (especially registered nurses, grocery store cashiers and salespersons, child care workers, restaurant waiters and waitresses and retail workers. According to a report by the National Women’s Law Center, “93 percent of child care workers, 66 percent of grocery store cashiers/salespeople, 70 percent of waiters and waitresses, and 77 percent of clothing/ shoe stores cashiers/salespeople are women. Many of the workers in those jobs are women of color.”

The nation’s true essential workers, the individuals who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19, are also the least paid and endure pay inequity compared to their male counterparts. Not only are these occupations generally low paid, but they often do not provide support in terms of paid leave, employer-sponsored health insurance, and child care.

their male counterparts. For instance, the median annual earnings for women grocery store cashiers/ salespersons is $24,000 compared to $27,000 for men, a $3,000 difference. Women home health and personal care aides make $25,000 a year, compared to $30,000 a year for men; women child care workers make $22,000 a year, while men with this position make $27,000; and women registered nurses make $65,000 annually, while their male counterparts earn $71,000. The conjunction of a gender pay gap and the economic effects of COVID-19 is affecting many women and women of color in these essential roles as many are the breadwinner of their family, who depend on their income for basic necessities. In fact, 41 percent of mothers are the sole or primary breadwinners in their families, and they often make only 69 cents on the dollar compared to fathers. Women also make up a majority of jobs that are currently being furloughed or put on temporary leave by companies that have been forced to close as “inessential” businesses. These jobs include waiters and waitresses, retail workers, hotel and motel desk workers, and maids/housekeepers in travel accommodations. Women comprise 70 percent of waitstaff, 77 percent of retail workers, 66 percent of hotel/ motel clerks, 88 percent of maids and housekeepers. clock as schools and facilities are currently shut down. How do we help these women and their families? In addition to immediate action, which has been partially answered by the recent CARES Act by the government, there needs to be longer term structural changes to our laws and economic infrastructure to address the impacts of COVID-19 and ensure that it does further the negative effects of the current gender pay gap. "Just like women who are in occupations that are considered essential, women in these professions deal with a gender pay gap ranging from a difference of $1,000 to $6,000 annually compared to men who do the same job as them."

Just like women who are in occupations that are considered essential, women in these professions deal with a gender pay gap ranging from a difference of $1,000 to $6,000 annually compared to men who do the same job as them. As these women potentially suffer job losses, they have less of a financial cushion to fall on than their male counterparts, especially if they support a family with their income and do not have much disposable income remaining. In the current public health and economic crisis, these women are also facing high costs for emergency health care and medication, rent or mortgages, rising prices for supplies or food, and other expenses that have risen due to this global pandemic. Women are currently dealing with unprecedented changes and challenges due to the COVID-19 outbreak in their personal and professional life. Not only are some women dealing with limited mobility in carrying out their professional duties, which is stressful on its own, but some are having to care for children and family members around the The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) suggests the following solutions for addressing the crisis, including providing emergency cash assistance for people with low incomes who will not benefit from tax relief or unemployment immediately. This is being addressed by the new $2 trillion stimulus package, which will provide $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples, with an additional $500 per child under the age of 17. Keep in mind that these payouts will be income-based and single adults with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less will receive the full amount. For married couples with no children earning $150,000 or less in combined incomes will also receive the full amount. The payment decreases for single people earning at least $99,000 and married couples with no children earning at least $198,000. Other ways women and their families can be helped include, as suggested by the NWLC, include:

Expanding emergency paid sick time and family and medical leave protections to protect all working people by eliminating exemptions for large employers and ensuring that nonprofits can be reimbursed for emergency benefits—and enacting forward-looking provisions to ensure that these critical benefits are available to everyone outside of the circumstances of a public health emergency. Ensuring health care, including reproductive health care, is available and affordable to all.

“Providing significant investments in child care funding to help providers and families. Strengthening unemployment insurance to reach more "...payouts will be income-based and single adults with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less will recieve the full amount." Requiring businesses receiving bailouts to protect their workforce against layoffs and provide decent wages to their workers.” During this public health and economic crisis, women and their dependent families are being short-handed more than other households due to the gender pay gap. The women who are working on the frontlines of COVID-19 deserve their fair share, as these times prove women are essential to maintaining the general wellbeing and quality of life of countless Americans.

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NDILC’s Ten Women Leadership Principles

During this global health pandemic, effective leadership is more important than ever as companies face drastic changes to their operations and employees face more responsibilities at home, such as homeschooling their children and a growing lack of essential resources, and several statewide stay-at-home orders.

To help women leaders take on these new challenges in stride, NAWRB’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC) present their Ten Women Leadership Principles, which they collectively created to help women in the real estate and housing ecosystem become more effective leaders and empower other women to reach their full potential. In the upcoming weeks, each of these principles will be presented in detail with a personal message from an NDILC member about her experiences applying these principles to her professional and personal life.

Each NDILC Council Member contributed their insights into what it means to be a great leader, and together they chose principles that are applicable to any woman at any stage in her career. This is a universal guide for all levels of leadership, and any woman can benefit—whether she dreams of the C-suite or she wants to become a better senior executive leader at her company.

“After several months of curating to bring the best universal modern set of leadership principles, we are extremely proud to present NAWRB Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC)’s Ten Women Leadership Principles,” stated Desiree Patno, CEO & President of NAWRB. “Our revolutionary unique platform of women senior executive thought leaders from the most diverse industries impact Quality of Life with everything that touches land: the real estate ecosystem.”

Share, engage, and practice every day at all levels of leadership. Be the storyteller!

Rebecca Steele Rachel Beam Jares Desirée Patno Dr. Chitra Dorai Marcia M. Davies

Acknowledge Trailblazers: Know and learn from the women who came before you. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants.

Keep Achieving: Effective leaders always keep learning. There is always something to learn and improve upon.

Believe: Whatever the mind can conceive, it can achieve.

Pass the Torch: Give opportunities to future generations of women. Your legacy will be the people you help along the journey.

Know Yourself: Be authentic and lead in a way that is true to you. Own your unique talents and strengths, and empower those around you.

Speak Out: Unconscious bias is present, but ignoring it only perpetuates it. Take a stand and speak out.

Listen: Never assume anything about anyone. Everyone has their own story that makes them who they are.

Be Present: Sharing your time is one of the most valuable gifts you can give. Do it with intention by truly being present.

Prepare for the Future: Women with advanced skills today will be ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

Lead by Example: Inclusion isn't enough. Press for parity and strive for excellence in everything.

Stay tuned for future articles that will expound on each of these principles to assist women professionals in applying them to their individual goals.

About NDILC The NDILC is dedicated to raising the number of women leaders and growing women’s employment and empowerment at all levels in the housing ecosystem. The Council comprised of senior executive women, works diligently toward gender equality and obtaining equal opportunity for women across America. To learn more about the NDILC, please visit www.NAWRB.com/NDILC/.

Amy Pienta Teresa Palacios Smith Tami Bonnell Kellie Aamodt Erica G. Courtney