Give to Gain. Give Equal Pay

“Give to Gain” is this year’s International Women’s Day theme — and its core message is simple: we advance women by giving. And while there are many important ways to give — respect, resources, a voice, opportunities, momentum, role models — I make no apology for singling out one in particular: give equal pay. 

All those other forms of support matter deeply. But you cannot deny women equal pay and still claim to respect them. At best, what you’re giving is respect in unequal amounts — and respect, opportunities, and resources are all diminished when equal pay is missing. 

The very first International Women’s Day in 1911 had no formal theme, but one of its core goals was workplace equality, including the right to work without discrimination and protection from exploitation. Then, as now, the demand was not “give us more pay” — it was “pay us equally.”  

I’m not a psychologist, but after years litigating equal pay cases for women, I can say with confidence: equal pay is about more than the money. It cuts to our innate sense of fairness. It touches dignity. It speaks directly to identity. And when employers refuse to pay women equally, they are making a statement — intentional or not — about women’s worth, competence, and status. 

When the thousands of women working in stores for Next won their equal pay claim in 2024 after six years of fighting together, they were celebrating more than the compensation they will receive if Next fail in their appeal (due to be heard in June this year). These women are paid the legal minimum. The money matters — of course it does. But the “equal” in equal pay is the part that cannot be banked, cannot be spent, and yet is absolutely priceless. 

Give to gain. 
Give equal pay.