Microsoft signs the Equal Pay Pledge, seeks to close gap between gender pay

The Equal Pay Pledge, a White House initiative with goals to close the gap between gender salaries, has just garnered 39 new signees, including Redmond’s very own Microsoft. The pledge, which was announced ealier this year, seeks to have companies commit to cunducting yearly analysis of salaries, both by gender and occupation, as well as review hiring and promotion practices. Both Amazon and Expedia were among the initial signers when the program was first announced.

Even though women make up nearly half of the work force currently, national studies show that white males are disproportionately paid higher wages, as well as hold higher positions in the work force. Studies show that “in 2014, the typical woman working full-time all year in the United States earned only 79 percent of what the typical man earned working full-time all year. The pay gap is even greater for African American and Latina women, with African American women earning 64 cents and Latina women earning 56 cents for every dollar earned by a white non-Hispanic man. The gender wage gap continues to be a very real and persistent problem that continues to shortchange American women and their families”.

Other big name companies that have joined the pledge include PepsiCo, Spotify, L’Oréal USA, and more. If you’re interested in learning the specifics of the pledge, you can read more here.