Kansas City’s New Salary History Ban to Combat the Pay Gap Will Take Effect on October 31st

The Women’s Foundation advocated for the reform to promote gender pay equity

KANSAS CITY – In a milestone for efforts to combat the gender pay gap, Kansas City’s new salary history ban will take effect this Thursday, October 31st. Sponsored by Councilman Scott Wagner and passed unanimously by the Kansas City Salary Council in May 2019, Ordinance No. 19038 bans employers from asking about a job applicant’s salary history.

“This ordinance is a great step toward breaking the cycle of pay inequity and ensuring women aren’t held back or discriminated against because of their previous salaries. Women in Kansas City are paid just 79 cents for every dollar earned by men, and women of color face even wider pay disparities – undercutting their economic potential and weakening our economy," said Wendy Doyle, Women’s Foundation President & CEO. "We’re so proud that Kansas City has embraced solutions to empower women in the workplace with policies like paid family leave and salary history bans. No woman should be denied equal pay for equal work just because her last job paid her less than her male colleagues.”

Under the ordinance, employers located in Kansas City, Missouri with six or more employees are prohibited from: 

• Inquiring about the salary history of an applicant for employment; or

• Screening job applicants based on their current or prior wages, benefits, or other compensation, or salary histories, including requiring that an applicant’s prior wages, benefits, other compensation or salary history satisfy minimum or maximum criteria; or

• Relying on the salary history of an applicant in deciding whether to offer employment to an applicant, or in determining the salary, benefits, or other compensation for such applicant during the hiring process, including the negotiation of an employment contract; or

• Refusing to hire or otherwise disfavor, injure or retaliate against an applicant for not disclosing his or her salary history to an employer.

Individuals who believe an employer has violated this new ordinance and wishes to file a complaint can contact the Civil Rights Division of the city’s Human Relations Department. Online forms are available at: https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/human-relations/filing-a-discrimination-complaint-civil-rights-division

In Kansas City, the overall gender pay ratio is 79 percent (a 21 percent gap). In Missouri and Kansas overall, women are paid 78 cents and 77 cents, respectively, for every dollar made by men. 

Women nationwide are typically paid 80 percent of what men are paid, but women of color face pay disparities that are far wider. The gender pay gap widens to 61 cents for Black women, 58 cents for Native American women and 53 cents for Latinas. 

Last year, the Women’s Foundation joined the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Mayor Sly James to announce AAUW Work Smart in Kansas City, the first phase of a large-scale initiative to help close the gender pay gap by empowering 1 million women to successfully negotiate their salary and benefits across Kansas and Missouri.

In 2015, Women's Foundation developed pay equity best practices in partnership with the University of Missouri. The Pay Equity Best Practice Guidelines seek to improve standards for pay equity and achieve measurable results with best practices for employers in both the private and public sectors.

The full report and guidelines are available at http://www.womens-foundation.org/equal-pay

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On Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, Women’s Foundation Encourages Policymakers to Remove Salary History from Hiring Process

Banning salary history inquiries in hiring shown to help break the cycle of pay inequity

KANSAS CITY – Ahead of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on August 22, marking the day when black women’s earnings finally catch up to those of white men, the Women’s Foundation is pressing policymakers to close the pay gap by banning salary history inquiries in hiring.

Black women make just 61 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, and salary history inquiries make it harder for women to close the gap. Kansas City recently adopted an ordinance barring employers from asking job applicants about their salary history, and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page did the same for county government hiring.

“It’s a basic issue of fairness: equal work deserves equal pay,” said Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of the Women’s Foundation. “The pay gap facing black women is staggering and unacceptable – undermining our economy, harming our communities, and short-changing millions of women across the country. That’s why we’re intensifying our efforts to enact policies that will close the pay gap – and salary history bans is one of those solutions. A woman’s unfairly low previous salary should never be the basis for her new one. Leaders in Kansas City and St. Louis have led the way on this issue and it’s time for other state and local leaders to follow suit. Removing salary history inquiries from the hiring process can help break this cycle and, combined with other common-sense policies to promote pay equity, can help close the pay gap once and for all.”

In addition to pushing for salary history bans, last year the Women’s Foundation joined the American Association of University Women and former Kansas City Mayor Sly James to announce AAUW Work Smart in Kansas City, the first phase of a large-scale initiative to help close the gender pay gap by empowering 1 million women to successfully negotiate their salary and benefits across Kansas and Missouri. To register for a free, online salary negotiation workshop, visit: https://salary.aauw.org/

Women nationwide are typically paid 80 percent of what men are paid, and women of color face pay disparities that are far wider. The gender pay gap widens to 61 cents for Black women, 58 cents for Native American women and 53 cents for Latinas.

Pay Equity Advocates Urge Support for Kansas City Ordinance to Ban Salary History Inquiries in Hiring

KANSAS CITY – The Women’s Foundation and the Women’s Employment Network today announced their support for a local ordinance to combat the gender pay gap by banning employers from asking about a job applicant’s salary history. Ordinance No. 190380 is being considered by the Kansas City Council’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee today. The ordinance, sponsored by Councilman Scott Wagner, would make Kansas City the 15th municipality to adopt such a ban.

“Women in the Kansas City region make just 79 cents for every dollar made by men, and research has shown that these pay gaps often follow women throughout their careers,” said Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of the Women’s Foundation. “No woman should be denied equal pay for equal work just because her last job paid her less than her male colleagues. This ordinance will help break the cycle of pay inequity and ensure women aren’t held back or discriminated against because of their previous salaries. We thank Councilman Wagner for working to break down barriers to equity and ensure equal pay for equal work.”

In Kansas City the overall gender pay ratio for the Kansas City metro area is 79 percent (a 21 percent gap).

“Giving women the tools to shape their own futures and secure sustainable employment will do more than increase their paychecks – it will also improve our entire economy,” said Sherry Turner, CEO of Women’s Employment Network. “This ordinance will build on the progress WEN and our partners have made by making sure women are paid based on their skills and experience and not limited by their previous salaries.”

Last year, the Women’s Foundation joined the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Mayor Sly James to announce AAUW Work Smart in Kansas City, the first phase of a large-scale initiative to help close the gender pay gap by empowering 1 million women to successfully negotiate their salary and benefits across Kansas and Missouri. WEN has hosted multiple salary negotiation trainings in the region, giving women the skills needed to negotiate the pay and benefits they deserve.

In 2015, Women's Foundation developed pay equity best practices in partnership with the University of Missouri. The Pay Equity Best Practice Guidelines seek to improve standards for pay equity and achieve measurable results with best practices for employers in both the private and public sectors.

The full report and guidelines are available at http://www.womens-foundation.org/equal-pay/

More information about the Women’s Employment network is at: https://kcwen.org

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Women’s Foundation Praises City Council Move to Combat the Gender Pay Gap by Removing Salary History from Employment Applications

KANSAS CITY – Adding to the growing momentum behind gender pay equity in the workplace, the Kansas City Council today unanimously passed a resolution calling for the removal of salary history from city employment applications. Under an amendment offered by Councilwoman Jolie Justus, the resolution will also apply to city contractors and vendors, sending a message to the private sector about the need to address the gender pay gap and ensure pay equity in the workplace.

“Our research shows the gender pay gap remains a pressing issue for families in the region, and it’s great to see the Kansas City Council tackling it head-on,” said Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of the Women’s Foundation. “This resolution will help break the cycle of pay inequity and ensure women applicants aren’t held back by their previous salaries. We thank Councilwoman Justus and the rest of the Council for sending a strong message that Kansas City is committed to breaking down barriers to equity and ensuring equal pay for equal work. We encourage all employers – public and private – to follow Kansas City’s lead and take steps to combat pay disparities in the workplace.”

The ordinance notes that research has shown that the practice of asking for past and current salary information by prospective employers may perpetuate gender and racial disparities in compensation.

The most recent analysis from the Women’s Foundation and the University of Missouri Institute of Public Policy shows women in Missouri who work full-time, year-round, earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Women in Kansas are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men.

In 2015, in an effort to close the gender pay gap, Women's Foundation developed pay equity best practices in partnership with the University of Missouri. The Pay Equity Best Practice Guidelines seek to improve standards for pay equity and achieve measurable results with three best practices for employers in both the private and public sectors:
 
Employers Should Determine if Gender-Based Pay Disparities Exist
Reevaluate the Current Pay System from an Equity Perspective
Promote and Ensure Pay Transparency
 
The full report and guidelines are available at http://www.womens-foundation.org/equal-pay/
 

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The Women’s Foundation promotes equity and opportunity for women of all ages, using philanthropy, research and policy solutions to make meaningful change.  More information about the organization can be found at www.Womens-Foundation.org   
 

Women’s Foundation Statement on Newly-Released Data on the Gender Pay Gap

Kansas City, Mo. -- Women’s Foundation released the following statement today regarding newly-released data showing the national gender pay gap decreasing by the largest amount since 2007.

The data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey shows that while the female-to-male earnings ratio climbed to a record 80.5 percent, some of the increase was due to stagnating wages among men rather than increasing wages among women. African American and Hispanic women continue to face significant disparities, and black women even saw their wages decline.

“We’re very pleased to see progress being made to close the gender pay gap, but there is clearly more work to be done,” said Women’s Foundation President and CEO Wendy Doyle. “This data should motivate policymakers to work even harder to empower women economically and ensure these gains are shared by all women, regardless of skin color or zip code. Women’s Foundation will continue to work for change and push for policy solutions that will accelerate this progress and end the pay gap once and for all.”

Women’s Foundation has been actively pushing for research-informed policy solutions to close the pay gap in Kansas and Missouri, including issuing Pay Equity Best Practices Guidelines as a tool for employers and advocating for occupational licensing reforms to reduce the barriers faced by women trying to enter more flexible, higher-paying careers.

The Women’s Foundation promotes equity and opportunity for women and girls, using philanthropy, research and policy solutions to make meaningful change.  More information about the organization can be found at www.Womens-Foundation.org.