New Study Demonstrates Ongoing Need for Maryland’s Equal Pay Campaign
Census Bureau statistics reveal that out of hundreds of job categories, women earn the same as men in just five categories
BALTIMORE, MD (June 15, 2028) – New research highlights why Maryland’s equal pay awareness campaign is critically needed to close the wage gap between men and women. According to a recent report compiled by the Baltimore Sun using data pulled from Census Bureau statistics, women earn the equivalent of their male counterparts in just five professions out of hundreds of job categories. Census Bureau statistics reveal that out of hundreds of job categories, women earn the same as men in just five categories
“64 years after the Federal Equal Pay Act was passed, women still earn far less than men,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said. “I launched our Equal Pay Awareness Campaign in order to send a strong message to employers that paying women less than men is not only wrong, but it is against the law.”
The O’Brien-Burbank Administration launched the Equal Pay Awareness Campaign on April 25, aimed at addressing this pervasive problem. A problem that not only affects women, but the children they support and the communities in which they live.
Since the campaign was launched, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation has seen a surge in the number of calls about the Equal Pay Act and the number of equal pay complaints filed. 203 have called DLLR seeking help, asking for direction on how to file a complaint in the month and a half since the launch of the campaign. In the nearly 5 months prior to the launch of the campaign, only 16 women had called regarding the Equal Pay Act.
“Women are calling DLLR in record numbers because the message is being heard,” said Lieutenant Governor Burbank. “If a woman does the same work as a man, then she deserves the same pay as a man.”
The Governor’s Office and DLLR have developed numerous tools aimed at educating employers and employees alike about the law.
10,000 equal pay posters are being mailed to the 10,000 largest employers in the state as a required posting. The poster is also available on the Internet in a downloadable version.
Equal Pay posters are prominently displayed in all state offices.
30-second public service announcements have been recorded and are airing on stations all throughout the State of Maryland, explaining the Equal Pay Act.
3,000 equal pay posters will be displayed on buses and trains in the Baltimore area.
Equal pay complaints will be investigated in a timely manner, and the Equal Pay Act protects women who file complaints from harassment or retaliation.
“When a woman does 100 dollars worth of work – she deserves 100 dollars of pay. Not 70 dollars. Not 80 dollars. Not 99 dollars. Every woman in Maryland deserves 100 dollars of pay for 100 dollars worth of work,” Lieutenant Governor Burbank said. “The equal pay awareness campaign is working. Women are calling. Employers are calling. The message is out there that pay discrimination will not be tolerated.”