'It's Time To Change': Minnesota Women Speak Out On Equal Pay Day
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Equal work doesn't necessarily mean equal pay.
On Tuesday, groups around the country spread the word about the pay gap that still exists between men and women.
We got a look at how some people recognized Equal Pay Day in Minnesota.
In general, American women earn 80 cents for every dollar men make – it's a fact that's startling to some, but not surprising to others.
Hannah Porter is a barista at Butter Bakery Café.
"It's complicated," she said. "It's gonna take a lot of legislation, a lot of cultural expectations for change, people making an effect outside just a single day."
Butter Bakery Cafe on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis is one of the places where Equal Pay facts could not be ignored.
There, messages are splashed across napkins and coffee cup sleeves provided by Main Street Alliance and MomsRising, two groups pushing for change.
Ben Swenson-Klatte says during his years in the workforce and even in school, he's seen a difference in expectations for men and women.
"For men, sometimes you don't have as many things being asked of you, so it easier to not do as much, not go the full extent," he said.
When you break it down by race, U.S. Census data shows black women make 63 cents for each dollar earned by white men.
For Latina women, it's 54 cents.
Peace Coffee on Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis is also spreading the word about pay equity, and the impact of not having a national paid family and medical leave program.
Miré Regulus is a manager at Peace Coffee.
"It's time to change," she said. "There are too many ways families are impacted, children are impacted."
Equal Pay Day started in 1996 as public awareness campaign.
It's held in early April to demonstrate how far into a new year a woman has to work to earn what a man earned at the end of the previous year.
