On Friday, Women’s Equality Day, the Obama administration added a number of big businesses to the White House’s Equal Pay Pledge.
The Pledge was first announced in June during the United State of Women Summit. It asks signers to change practices within their companies around hiring and promotion practices, reading in part, “We commit to conducting an annual company-wide gender pay analysis across occupations; reviewing hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers; and embedding equal pay efforts into broader enterprise-wide equity initiatives.”
CNN reports that new signers include Apple, Facebook, Target, and General Motors, who issued this statement:
“GM is supporting this pledge because it reflects our shared belief that employees’ gender should not factor into compensation decisions. We believe that fair and equitable pay should be an essential element of any successful business model and are proud to stand with other companies that share this same value.”
The Obama administration sees the Pledge as a continuation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which required equal pay for equal work. They quote the 79 cents to the dollar statistic that still prevails today, despite what men will tell you when you bring it up.