Policy Agenda
Equal Pay Today Policy Agenda
In unprecedented times, we need the power of collective action to advance new employment protections and defend the rights of all workers.
The Equal Pay Today 2026–2027 Policy Agenda is a roadmap for protecting the economic security of working women, workers of color, immigrants, and families across the country.
The Fight for Equal Pay Has Entered a New Era
Across the United States, the systems designed to protect workers from discrimination are under attack. Civil rights enforcement agencies are being weakened. Workplace protections are being rolled back. Workers who already face discrimination are being left with fewer tools to challenge it.
For working women, especially Black women, Latinas, Native women, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women, immigrant women, and women with disabilities, these changes threaten economic security and stability.
The Equal Pay Today campaign brings together state, national, and Tribal organizations across the country to confront these challenges and advance policies that close gender and racial wage gaps. Our 2026–2027 Policy Agenda outlines the steps needed to protect workers, strengthen enforcement, and ensure fair pay.
The Wage Gap Still Defines Our Economy
More than 60 years after the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, wage gaps still shape the U.S. economy. Women continue to earn less than men on average. The gap is even wider for women of color, disabled women, and LGBTQIA+ workers. These disparities are driven by:
- unequal pay for the same or similar work
- lack of pay transparency
- reliance on salary history
- workplace harassment and discrimination
- occupational segregation into low wage industries
- minimum and subminimum wages and wage theft
- lack of paid leave and caregiver protections
These barriers limit economic security and make it harder for workers to meet basic needs and build wealth.
Our Policy Agenda for Fair Pay
Pay Equity Enforcement
Pay Equity Enforcement
When enforcement agencies are weakened, workers lose the ability to challenge discrimination.
Equal Pay Today supports policies that strengthen enforcement and ensure accountability for unfair pay practices.
Pay Transparency and Pay Equity Protections
Pay Transparency and Pay Equity Protections
Pay secrecy allows discrimination to continue.
We support policies that require salary range disclosures, prohibit the use of salary history, and strengthen equal pay protections.
Higher Wages and Ending Subminimum Pay
Higher Wages and Ending Subminimum Pay
Women are overrepresented in both minimum and subminimum wages, including tipped workers and workers with disabilities.
We support raising wage standards and eliminating subminimum wages so all workers can earn a living wage.
Paid Leave and Caregiver Protections
Paid Leave and Caregiver Protections
No worker should have to choose between their job and their family.
We support paid family leave, paid sick days, and caregiver protections that allow workers to stay employed while caring for themselves and/or loved ones.
Workplace Safety and Anti-Harassment Protections
Workplace Safety and Anti-Harassment Protections
Workplace harassment and discrimination undermine economic security and force workers out of jobs.
We support stronger protections to ensure safe and equitable workplaces free from harassment.
Building Momentum State by State
For more than 13 years, Equal Pay Today has driven progress across the country.
The campaign has supported successful pay equity legislation in 44 states, including laws that:
- require salary range disclosures
- prohibit reliance on salary history
- strengthen equal pay protections
- raise minimum wages and eliminate subminimum wages
State progress continues to build momentum for national change.
Join the Movement for Equal Pay
Equal pay is about more than wages. It is about economic security, dignity, and opportunity.
Together, we can build an economy where every worker is paid fairly, regardless of gender, race, or where they live.