An Affront to Pay Equity: Trump Administration Rescinds Efforts to Collect Intersectional Pay Data

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is tasked with protecting the American workforce from discrimination. In a blatant display of disregard, the EEOC released its intention to roll back Obama era efforts that would require large companies to submit pay data for job categories disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and sex. This comes on the heels of recently released Census data showing no progress in eliminating the pay gap from last year. Below is a statement from the Vice President of Policy and Engagement at AnitaB.org, Stephanie Rodriguez, Ph.D. “We know that data transparency is critical to unearthing pay inequities and we are disheartened by the EEOC’s intent to roll back these important measures. Across all fields and disciplines the adage is true, we measure what matters. The Trump Administration is sending a clear message that pay equity for women and people of color does not matter and is giving employers the opportunity to hide pay discrepancies. We applaud the companies that are diving deep into their pay data and making informed decisions to increase equity.  We encourage the entire tech industry to be leaders in the space and collect their job category pay data by race, sex, and ethnicity, regardless of the shield provided by this Administration.”