Gender Wage Gap: A Tool to Show You That Every Cent Counts

Moving is expensive. I recently made the decision to move across D.C. to a new apartment, one that suits my needs a little better, in a neighborhood where more of my friends live and where the rent is more affordable. And while in the long run, this move will absolutely pay off, the initial price tag made me a little grumpy. Fifty dollars for BOXES?!?!?! Two hundred fifty for MOVERS?!?!

As I started building my moving costs into my budget, I thought about how important every dollar is when you’re planning your finances. And when you take into consideration the fact that most women are paid, on average, 77 cents to every dollar their male counterparts makes and figure out that amounts  to about $11,000 of lost income per year, that’s a lot of money that could be spent on a variety of different things  — enough money to put food on the table, shop for new clothes or shoes for your kids, pay off student loans, mortgage payments, rent, make visits to family and friends, or, yes — perhaps something a little more frivolous, like go out for the occasional brunch.

When you add each penny women are missing out on each year the wage gap persists, and think about what that means to women and families, it’s easy to see how much this issue matters. Which is why the site My Wage Gap is so great — it makes the issue personal, with examples from different women about why the lost wages matter to them. When we break down issues into pieces, it’s easier to see the impact — and to realize that every cent counts.

Becka is a Communications Associate at the National Women’s Law Center and also writes for her own blog, Becka Tells All.