Governor Mills Proclaims March 25 National Equal Pay Day in Maine

March 25, 2025

For Immediate Release: March 25, 2025

Governor Mills Proclaims March 25 National Equal Pay Day in Maine

According to the United States Census Bureau, the difference between median earnings for men and women in Maine who worked full-time, year-round in 2023 was https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2023.S2001?q=S2001:+Earnings+in+the+Past+12+Months+(in+2023+Inflation-Adjusted+Dollars)&g=040XX00US23&moe=false" target="_blank">nearly $9,000.

MAINE - Governor Janet Mills has proclaimed March 25, 2025 National Equal Pay Day in Maine, symbolizing how far into the year women in the United States must have worked to earn what men had earned by December 31, 2024. Nationally, women aged 16 and over who are working full-time, year-round are on average paid just 82 cents for every dollar paid to men. The wage gap is even more pronounced for women of color. Nationally in 2023, African American women made 65 cents on the dollar, and Hispanic or Latina women just 58 cents on the dollar compared to white, non-Hispanic men.

"Maine people know an honest day's work deserves an honest day's pay," said Governor Janet Mills. "I've proclaimed today as National Equal Pay Day in Maine to remind us all there's more to do to ensure Maine women receive equal pay for equal work."

Requirements regarding equal pay have been a part of Maine law since 1949, but wage inequality persists. To promote pay equality, Governor Mills signed legislation in 2019 to discourage employers from basing wages on an employee's salary history.

"The wage gap remains a reality we must contend with. Data shows that men who worked full-time, year-round earned nearly $9,000 more than women-and the gap is even wider for women of color," said Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman. "Ensuring equal pay and access to good-paying jobs is not just about fairness - it strengthens families, reduces poverty, and drives economic growth. Maine is committed to raising aspirations and opening doors to high-wage careers. Programs like our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship initiatives in construction are creating clear pathways for women to enter and thrive in these industries, ensuring that anyone with the skills and drive to succeed has the opportunity to do so."

According to the United States Census Bureau, the difference between median earnings for men and women in Maine who worked full-time, year-round in 2023 was $8,900. Men earned a median of $61,300, while women earned $52,400.

Nationally in 2023, the average differences in median earnings between white, non-Hispanic or Latino men and women of color are $30,100 for American Indian and Alaska Native women, $25,200 for Black or African American women, and $1,600 for Asian women.

According to the 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates, the five occupational groups in Maine with the largest wage gaps are legal occupations; health diagnosing and treating practitioners; sales and related occupations; production occupations; and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations.

"The gender wage gap is not about individuals, it's about systems: 'women's work' (traditional roles such as care and caregiving) pays less, and women earn less over a lifetime because of their unpaid caregiving roles," said Destie Hohman Sprague, Executive Director of the Maine Women's Lobby. "Systems are solved with policies, and Maine policymakers have an opportunity to address this gap once by supporting bills that address pay transparency and workforce segregation. They also must continue to build the caregiving structures, such as paid family and medical leave, childcare, and direct care, which supports pay equity over the long term."

"Equal Pay Day is an important marker of how far into each new year the average woman must work in order for her earnings to catch up to what the average man had earned by the end of the previous year. At the same time, it's important to remember that the pay gap for women varies by demographic, so for moms Equal Pay Day is May 6, for African women it's on July 10, for Latina women it's October 8 and for Native American women it's all the way to November 18," said Cynthia Phinney, President of the AFL-CIO. "Paying attention to these numbers and these gaps matters in the work to build an economy that allows everyone to flourish by removing barriers to economic security. The best way to close the pay gap and fight wage discrimination is with a union contract, so on Equal Pay Day we also affirm our resolve to ensure all women regardless of race or national origin have the right to join a union, free from coercion and intimidation."

"Women of every race and background work hard to keep Maine families, businesses, and services running. Their work has equal value, but women, especially Latina, Black, and Indigenous women, aren't compensated at rates equal to men," said Ariel Ricci, Executive Director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations. "Everyone does better when women of all races and ethnicities get paid what their work is truly worth."

"Equal Pay Day highlights the ongoing struggle to appropriately value and support the work of Maine women - and the full Equal Pay Day calendar shows how the burden of the wage gap falls disproportionately on mothers, women of color, disabled women, and the LGBTQ+ community," said Elinor Higgins, Executive Director of Maine's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (MePCSW). "But Equal Pay Day also shows the path forward toward a stronger economic future for Maine: by closing the wage gap, we can improve economic security for Maine women and their families."

In 2024, MePCSW released a report on Maine women's labor, employment, and economic security which illustrates how the wage gap drives financial disparities across the lifespan, with part-time, low-wage work and lacking care infrastructure leading to higher rates of financial hardship among women in Maine.

Maine's Equal Pay Law requires that employees be paid the same wages as employees of the opposite sex for work that is of a comparable nature in skill, effort, and responsibility.

MDOL's Bureau of Labor Standards, who enforces the Equal Pay Law in Maine, has a poster available for employers free of charge that outlines the basics of the law:

• An employer may not discriminate between employees in the same establishment on the basis of sex by paying wages to any employee at a rate less than the rate at which the employer pays any employee of the opposite sex for comparable work on jobs that have comparable requirements relating to skill, effort and responsibility.

• An employer may not prohibit employees from discussing their wages with coworkers.

Anyone who believes they are not being paid the same wages as an employee of the opposite sex for comparable work, should file an equal pay complaint. The Maine Department of Labor has a printable equal pay complaint form here: https://www.maine.gov/labor/labor_laws/publications/epcomplaintform.pdf

A mailed or emailed complaint form can be requested by contacting the Wage and Hour Division at 207-623-7900 or mdol@maine.gov.