March 26, 2026, is Equal Pay Day – the date that symbolizes how far into the new year a woman must work to earn what a man was paid in the previous year. It is an annual reminder that the gender wage gap sadly remains. This year, however, it arrives against a particularly stark backdrop: not only has progress stalled, the gap is actively getting wider.
What Is Equal Pay Day?
Equal Pay Day was established in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) to raise awareness about the gender wage gap. The date shifts each year based on updated earnings data – the later it falls, the larger the gap. In 2025, women working full-time, year-round earned about 81 cents for every dollar men earned, which means women had to work all of last year plus more than three months into 2026 just to match what men earned in 2025 alone.
The legal backbone for pay equity in the U.S. is the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), signed by President Kennedy, which prohibits employers from paying employees less than workers of a different sex for performing substantially equal work. The law also bars retaliation against employees who report wage discrimination. The EPA was a crucial first step, but it’s not perfect, as it only covers near-identical jobs in the same workplace, leaving broader forms of pay discrimination unaddressed.
California goes further. The Fair Pay Act, which was signed into law in2015, requires equal pay for “substantially similar work,” even across different locations – a broader standard than federal law. California also prohibits employers from asking about or relying on prior salary history, closing a loophole that has long allowed old pay disparities to follow workers into new roles. Additionally, since 2023, businesses with 15 or more employees must include pay ranges in job postings, giving workers more visibility into how compensation is structured before they ever walk in the door.
The Gap Is Widening For the First Time in Decades
Despite these protections, the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data tells a troubling story. Women earned 84 cents on the dollar in 2022, 83 cents in 2023, and 81 cents in 2024. For the first time since this data has been collected, the gender wage gap widened two consecutive years in a row. The gap is now back to roughly where it stood in 2017, erasing nearly a decade of incremental progress.
The driving force was not falling wages for women, it was that men’s wages increased by 3.7% while women’s wages stayed flat. In a period of economic growth where workers were broadly seeing gains, women were left behind. For women of color, the gap is even wider. Equal Rights Advocates reports that Black women earned 65 cents for every dollar men earned in 2024, a drop from 69 cents in 2022, while Latina women took home just 58 cents, which is over $33,000 in lost annual income.
Federal Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Rollbacks: What It Means for Pay Equity
These inequalities are compounded by a significant shift in how the federal government is approaching workplace discrimination enforcement. Starting in January 2025, the Trump administration issued a series of executive orders aimed at eliminating what it characterized as “illegal DEI” programs, revoking longstanding affirmative action requirements for federal contractors and directing agencies to scrutinize employer DEI initiatives.
Perhaps the most consequential shift came in April 2025, when an executive order directed federal agencies to stop pursuing disparate impact claims – a legal theory that lets workers challenge policies that disproportionately harm protected groups, even without proof of intent. For pay equity cases, this has long been one of the most effective enforcement tools available, and eliminating it constitutes a significant loss for workers.
It is important to understand that these executive orders don’t erase existing law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the EPA, and other federal anti-discrimination statutes are still in effect, and private employees can still bring claims under them. What has changed is the federal government’s willingness to investigate and enforce those claims on workers’ behalf, which has long been a lifeline for employees who can’t afford to fight alone.
California workers have an added layer of protection. The state’s own anti-discrimination laws – including the Fair Pay Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act – stand on their own, independent of federal enforcement. State law protections remain fully intact, and workers in California retain meaningful legal remedies regardless of what is happening at the federal level.
What to Do If You Suspect You’re Being Underpaid
If you believe you are earning less than a coworker of a different gender for substantially similar work, you have options. Under California law, you can request pay scale information for your role, discuss wages with colleagues without fear of retaliation, and file a complaint with the California Labor Commissioner or pursue a civil claim. The statute of limitations for equal pay claims in California is three years from the date of the last violation.
Equal Pay Day comes once a year. Pay discrimination does not. If you have questions about your situation, speaking with an experienced employment attorney is the best first step.
Is Your Pay Equal?
If you believe you’ve been denied equal pay by a current or former employer, you may have a legal claim worth pursuing. The employment attorneys at Matern Law Group, PC are experienced in equal pay and wage discrimination cases and are committed to fighting for the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Equal Pay Resources
- National Committee on Pay Equity – Equal Pay Day Overview
https://www.pay-equity.org/ - EEOC – Equal Pay Act of 1963
https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/equal-pay-act-1963 - California DIR – California Equal Pay Act
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/california_equal_pay_act.htm - U.S. Census Bureau – Income and Poverty Data
https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/income.html - AAUW – Equal Pay Day Calendar & Wage Gap Analysis
https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/equal-pay-day-calendar/ - Equal Rights Advocates – 2024 Wage Gap Data by Race & Gender
https://www.equalrights.org/news/new-census-bureau-numbers-shed-light-on-continuing-pay-gaps-for-women-2/ - California Civil Rights Department – Fair Employment and Housing Act
https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/ - California Labor Commissioner – File a Wage Claim
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ - National Women’s Law Center – Equal Pay & the Wage Gap
https://nwlc.org/issue/equal-pay-and-the-wage-gap/ - Glassdoor: Beyond the Gap 2026
https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/beyond-the-gap-women-compensation-report/ - CNBC: The gender wage gap doubles over a 30-year career
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/06/gender-pay-gap-doubles-over-the-course-of-womens-careers-glassdoor-report.html - California Code, Labor Code – LAB § 432.3
https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/labor-code/lab-sect-432-3/ - Executive Orders
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/page/50/