The IDEAs Council Presents Equal Pay Day and Greek American Heritage Month
This month the IDEAs Council chose to explore Equal Pay Day and Greek American Heritage Month.
Equal Pay Day was created by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. This date, March 12 (day 71 of the year), symbolizes how far into a calendar year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. In other words, women must work roughly 15 months to earn what men make in 12 months.
Because women earn less on average than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. Women earn about 82 cents for every dollar a man earns.
The wage gap is even greater for most women of color.
- For Black women, it’s about 65 cents
- For Latina women, it’s about 60 cent
These gaps widen when comparing the wages of women of color to those of white men.
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How much does Greek culture influence our daily lives? Most of us have a favorite Greek restaurant or at least a favorite Greek food. Who doesn’t remember the 2002 hit movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding?
Did you know that the Greeks are responsible for giving the world the Olympics, umbrellas and alarm clocks? March is Greek American Heritage Month (also known as Hellenic Heritage Month) and provides the perfect opportunity to learn all about Greek culture and history.
This month was selected because March 25 is Greece’s National Independence Day. In the late 1800s, many Greeks immigrated to the United States, and now, more than 2.5 million Americans are of Greek origin. Across the United States, organizations are working to preserve and educate others about the contributions of the Greek language and culture.
Click here to learn more information about the history of Greek American Heritage Month.