Equal Pay Day in Germany

Equal Pay Day (EPD) is the international day of action for equal pay between women and men. It was first introduced in the USA in 1966 by a coalition of women's and civil rights organizations, trade unions, religious and professional associations.

Ishinay Kemmler, management consultant (BPW Frankfurt), brings the idea to Germany. Dr. Bettina Schleicher, lawyer and President of BPW Germany, launched the Red Bag Initiative in 2007, the cornerstone for the nationwide introduction of Equal Pay Day.

On the initiative of BPW Germany, a national action alliance was formed by BAG (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der kommunalen Frauenbüros und Gleichstellungsstellen), BDA (Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände), DF (Deutscher Frauenrat), VdU (Verband deutscher Unternehmerinnen). 60,000 citizens take to the streets for equal pay, 180 campaigns are organized. The EPD is mentioned for the first time on ARD's Tagesthemen.

The number of activists and campaigners grows. 1,000 actions are reported for EPD 2018.

2019 - The Hans Böckler Foundation's Comparable Worth Index finally shows how gender-neutral criteria can be used to define work of equal value.

Under the motto "High time for equal pay!", the Equal Pay Day 2024 campaign focuses on the connection between time and money. Women are still almost three times more likely to work part-time than men, as women usually take on the majority of care work. This has an impact on the gender pay gap of 18 percent.