Fighting For Equal Pay

I'm an avid soccer fan. I have a sports-loving family. Everyone is athletically gifted, except for maybe me. During my time as a coach, manager and all-around soccer dad, I drove an 8-passenger rig, with a box on top to carry balls, bags and stinky socks from long weekend tournaments. Over the years when I travel, I try to attend international matches and one time I had the opportunity to attend a World Cup Final to see the best of the best play. This World Cup bucket list event was to see the U.S. Women's National Soccer team. The team has won the World Cup four times and has four Olympic championships. 

A couple months ago, the team arguably scored its most significant win yet – equal pay to U.S. Men's National Soccer. There is little argument that the women's team sells more tickets, wins more matches and is internationally more successful than the men's team. So why did it take eight long years of vigorous court battles to reach the settlement? It has been 50 years since Title IX, and 59 years since the Equal Pay Act. But today, women still need to fight for equal pay to men.

It should come as no surprise that we still need to fight for women's rights, especially after the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to remove women's federal constitutional right to an abortion. Many of us were shocked to learn of the ruling and how it greatly impacts women and their right to choose what happens to their bodies, in addition to setting the precedent for dismantling other fundamental rights that could have far-reaching ramifications. 

The data also backs up the inequities of pay between genders in our country. In 2020, women earned 84% of what men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. That means, it would take an extra 42 days of work for women to earn what men did in 2020.

The wage gap is even more pronounced for women of color, according to data based on a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2020. Latinas earned 55 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. By comparison, Native American women earned 60 cents, Black women 63 cents, White/non-Hispanic women 79 cents, and Asian American and other Pacific Islander women 85 cents.

Some say the pay gap between genders still exists because of some measurable factors like women's educational attainment, occupational segregation and work experience. In addition, there are more women in lower-paying occupations. Factors like gender discrimination are not easily measurable. However, many women report experiencing it across industries. 

At UCSF, we regularly analyze faculty pay (every two years) and staff pay based on gender and under-represented minority (URM) status to identify and address any inequities. Analyzing pay at an organization creates transparency and fairness. As a world-leading university, it is important that UCSF continues to proactively monitor pay inequities based on gender and URM status. 

Equal pay is the first step in an organization supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives. These are the basic ingredients for fostering a positive culture in the workplace. With the right culture, an organization can achieve its purpose and perform strategically, and individuals at that organization can be their best creative and innovative selves. 

The U.S. women's soccer team didn't have to be the best to earn equal pay – according to the Equal Pay Act. But they became the best anyway and still had to fight for equal pay. To achieve equal pay, allyship throughout an organization is needed, especially by men. It is just the right thing to do. 

As a father, husband and school dean, I am committed to being an ally for equal pay between genders and URM status. Like the U.S. women's soccer team, this is a battle we're going to win.

Michael S. Reddy, DMD, DMSc Dean, UCSF School of Dentistry Associate Vice Chancellor, Oral Health Affairs