Closing the gender pay gap is a topic I’m incredibly passionate about. On January 30, the Paycheck Fairness Act was reintroduced to Congress in the latest attempt to readdress the imbalance. This week, I’ll be moderating a virtual discussion on how to tackle the gender pay gap, and I’m hoping you can join me.
I’m the mother of two daughters. Over the course of this past weekend, my youngest was hanging out with me in my office and looking over my shoulder as I was busy typing.
Two of my daughter’s favorite hobbies are reading mommy’s stuff and asking questions.
“Mommy, what does closing the gender pay gap mean?”
My daughter’s in first grade and at first I paused, because I wasn’t sure how to explain it. I decided to keep it simple and said “well, the gender pay gap means sometimes men earn more than women for doing the same work.”
For once, my daughter was lost for words. She looked at me as if I was crazy.
It is crazy.
In addition to being the proud mother of two little girls, I’m extremely proud to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. If you’re not familiar, the RSA (officially the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) is a nonprofit think tank and Fellowship. It was founded in London back in 1754 by social reformer and inventor William Shipley.
William believed that individuals can help to shape a culture that serves the public interest. Since then notable RSA Fellows have included Benjamin Franklin, Adam Smith, Marie Curie, Karl Marx, Charles Dickens, Nelson Mandela and Stephen Hawking.
Fast forward to today, the RSA explores the most important issues transforming society, working alongside people in government, academia, the private and non-profit sectors, and local communities. As a vibrant global organization, the RSA provides a burgeoning platform for ideas and action with over 29,000 Fellows around the world.
I’m just one of them, but this Thursday I’ll be connecting with Fellows across the United States to moderate a RSA Virtual Salon on Closing the Gender Pay Gap. Our conversation will be steered by four brilliant speakers who are committed to closing the gap, once and for all.
RSA US February Salon: Closing the Gender Pay Gap
Thursday February 21
12pm – 1pm ET
Location: Online through Zoom
The speakers joining the conversation are:
Deborah J. Vagins, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Research at The American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Courtney Seiter, Director of People at Buffer
Gemma Lloyd, CEO at WORK180
Lydia Frank, Vice President, Content Strategy at PayScale
Some of the key questions we will be discussing include why does the gender pay gap persist? Can new legislation solve the prevalent issues? And, how can employers correct the imbalance and close the gap?
The event is free to register, the discussion will take place online via Zoom and the invitation to join is open to all.
Join us by registering here.
Post by Octavia Goredema
Octavia Goredema is an award-winning career coach, writer and the founder of Twenty Ten Talent. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or over on Twitter.