Women’s Equality Day is on August 26. It commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 providing women the right to vote in America.
Over that 100-year time span, much has changed for women, but equality in the workplace remains a challenge. Women still only make a fraction of the pay compensation that men make, they continue to experience discrimination in the workplace, and they continue to face barriers in climbing the corporate ladder to greater success.
The good news is that there is more awareness than ever about the barriers facing women in the workplace and the efforts to remove these barriers.
Social media has played a significant role in the process, making it easier to spread information and organize. Twitter, in particular, with its use of hashtags, is an effective platform to share information using hashtags. The use of hashtags, a keyword or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#), written along with a post or comment makes it easier for
people to find others who share similar sentiments. It has helped propel this women’s movement to new heights.
Hashtags like #EqualPay, #EqualityCantWait, #TimesUp, #MeToo, #HeForShe and #NoCeiling are all playing a huge role in spreading awareness on the hardships women face in the workplace.
Here are five hashtags that focus on pay and gender equality issues.
#EqualPay: Promotes the idea that all individuals in the workplace should be paid equally, regardless of gender. #EqualPay facilitates discussion about the gender wage disparity to help close the gap.
#EqualityCantWait: This is the hashtag for an organization started by Melinda Gates with the overarching message that it will take 208 years to achieve gender equality in the U.S. unless we act now. The idea behind Equality Can’t Wait is that equality can be reached much sooner if everyone works together to see to it that it happens. Gates recently wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review on how gender equality is within our reach. You can read it here.
#TimesUp: The hashtag for this organization is focused on the issues of sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace. Its website describes Time’s Up as an “organization that insists on safe, fair and dignified work for women of all kinds.” The organization is working to promote new laws that will help achieve its goals.
#HeForShe: This is the hashtag promoting participation in United Nations global solidarity movement for gender equality. According to its website, HeForShe is “an invitation for men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women to create a bold, visible and united force for a gender equal world.” The website keeps a running count of the number of people who have made commitments to gender equality and provides stories to inspire people to positive action.
#NoCeiling: This hashtag was inspired by a report released by Hillary Clinton on the work necessary to achieve gender equality. The message stems from a report she released which highlights how much work still has to be done in terms of gender equality, in areas such as education, domestic and sexual violence and unpaid labor, according to an article by Bustle. #NoCeiling, “aims to look at the root of all these problems, and puts women across the globe on a path to success, equality, and respect.”
These hashtags at large address the barriers women face in the workplace as well as their personal lives. And they’re having an impact. Tweets pertaining to women’s equality are up 60% this year compared to last year, according to Bustle.
These hashtags provide participants the opportunities to share personal experiences, opinions and different resources from around the globe. On any given day, you can find someone recommending a BBC documentary, an alert to a new law, news articles and personal perspectives, as well as inspirational messages of support and encouragement for people to take action to fight for gender and racial equality.
These hashtags represent that pay equity isn’t a fad, but is part of a much larger cultural shift that is going to continue to ingrain itself in America.
Conducting a pay equity audit is a key component to ensuring equitable compensation within your organization. Just as important as the analysis is how you communicate findings and progress with various stakeholders. Download The Pay Equity Communications Planner to learn best practices for discussing compensation, both internally and externally.
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