Today is Equal Pay Day. You may say, but, Karen, the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963. Yes, I know.

Like many other movements of the 60s, we haven’t made great strides since then.

(Personally, I think we could use a modern folk movement to catalyze greater change. Music is a powerful force underutilized today.)

Besides the fact that women still earn 82 cents to a man’s dollar, there are many other inequities that have become even more evident through the pandemic, in part causing 1.8 million women to abandon the workforce who have yet to return today.

Take a look at the top leadership of companies. How many are dominated by women? Usually, it is those started by women. Now take a look at the lower levels of the same company. How do they compare? Statistically, women dominate lower-wage jobs.

This morning on the Philadelphia-based Preston & Steve Show, members of the cast and callers shared anecdotes about people (mostly women) who turned down opportunities because they required sacrifices of family time and overall wellness.

How are companies still expecting people (men and women) to put work before the most important job of all – preparing our kids to be stewards of the planet and each other?

Why does any corporate job really require someone to sacrifice a healthy lifestyle in these times of automation and remote technology? The answer is… it’s not required. And there are enough case studies today to prove that companies can prosper because they take care of their people and the planet.

Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that the increase in mental illness witnessed and measured globally has something to do with cultures that demand performance over personal priorities. And we wonder why school shootings and other mass public shootings in the US weren’t “a thing” back in the day yet are scarily too prevalent now. Of course, there are many other factors, but no matter where you stand on gun control, mental illness is an undeniable influence on these events.

Let me say this for the people in the back – PROFITS are not more important than PEOPLE!

In fact, one might argue that if you let the population go to hell in a handbasket, you are not only going to burn out your talent, who may sabotage your progress consciously or unconsciously, but you will also eliminate future consumers who drive your profits.

I know we’re all sick of beating on the Great Recession drum, but someone didn’t get the memo that people and our society can’t sustain the workplace demands of the past 20 years. Want to help them get the message? TAKE A STAND. You don’t have to work for companies that aren’t adapting to the changing needs of the workforce. Some of you actually are positioned to be a change agent in your company and have the potential to change things for the better for everyone there.

Seriously. That is what I am here for, and there are plenty of other career and leadership coaches poised and ready to help you give your talent, time, and energy to a company and/or a cause that gives you back what you give to it, and then some.

Take the next step now. Schedule a consultation.

And if you’re a woman in Delaware, attend one of the compensation negotiation trainings I will be doing in April for the Office of Women’s Advancement and Advocacy.

Close the gaps. There is more than one.

• We need family-friendly policies that support both mom and dad’s ability to be there for their kids, who are the future of our planet and your company.
• We need women to be given opportunities in top levels of leadership that enable them to be a whole person. Other countries do this much better than the US!
• We obviously need women to get the same pay for the same work!

Come on, now. It’s 2022! My oldest daughter is in the class of 2028. The days of her entering the workforce are coming quickly, and we’ve got a lot of work to do!