25-03-2025
Governor Josh Stein highlights Equal Pay Day for women in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCT) — North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has proclaimed Mar. 25th as North Carolina Equal Pay Day to highlight continuous gender pay disparities and to encourage government, business, and nonprofit sectors to close the wage gap for all women.
Equal Pay Day marks the point in the year that women must work on average to make the same amount that their male counterparts earned during the previous year, but women in North Carolina and across the United States, continue to earn less than men performing the same work.
'Closing the gender pay gap would make our families, our economy, and our state more prosperous,' Governor Stein said. 'I am committed to making sure that every North Carolinian has an equal opportunity for success in our state.'
In 2022, The State of Working Women: The 2023 State of Working North Carolina says that women working full-time earned $2.04 less than the medium hourly wage for men.
'Eliminating pay inequities would strengthen our economy and improve quality of life for North Carolina's women, children, and families. More than half the state's population are women, and many women are the primary breadwinners for their families,' North Carolina Department of Administration Secretary Gabriel J. Esparza said. 'We must continue to find and develop creative ways to ensure that North Carolinians receive equal pay for equal work. Your pay should be determined by your skill, your experience and your effort, not your gender.'
Since 2019, state government agencies no longer use salary history in the hiring process because history can perpetuate unfairly lower pay for women doing the same work as men.
During the week of Mar. 24, 2025, Governor Stein hosted women leaders across the state at the Executive Mansion for the Women's History Month Reception. Stein signed the proclamation at this meeting to recognize March as Women's History Month.
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