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Now that’s more like it!

Everyone is affected by Equal Pay Day.

Women, on average, work for free 57 days out of the year due to the wage gap.

Did you know that you could be losing out on over $400,000 by the time you reach age 65?

Did you know that the wage gap between men and women has barely changed in the last ten years?

Today, women are still earning significantly less than men, even after taking graduation into account. Just one year out of college, women earn only 82 percent of what their male counterparts do. I was the woman who learned that I was making less than my male counterpart on the same team (same level of responsibility and same role) three years in. Back then, I thought that if I just did great work it would all eventually come to me as deserved.

In 2015, it is outrageous that we still have to argue that everyone deserves the same pay for doing the same job, regardless of physical appearance. We can–and should–do better as a nation.

A few factors contribute to Equal Pay Day— some are structural and others are personal. Here at Levo, we have the chance to work with both aspects.

We are working with respected organizations and fantastic business partners to help them improve their practices and make sure they are as just and fair as possible. We are also urging managers to use simple tools (such as this one) to evaluate how well they work with their teams—if you manage a team, be sure to try out this tool.

In addition to being unfair, the pay gap is complex and has many root causes. Let’s use Equal Pay day as an opportunity to better understand these causes so that we can collectively work towards fixing them. One cause of the pay gap is our discomfort with negotiating for what we deserve in our careers. Negotiating is not just about money–it’s about asking for what we deserve in return for the value we bring to our company. This could be feedback, more responsibility, or a promotion. But yes, sometimes it is simply about asking for compensation that matches our worth.

It’s been a while since you asked for something, hasn’t it? We surveyed 10,000 people and found that more than 90 percent of them had never requested additional responsibility, feedback, or raises in their jobs. Let’s help make you more comfortable with asking for things.

We want to ensure that every woman knows about this day and how important it is. We also want to give them the resources they need so they can do something to make it more equitable. We’ll be here all month sharing insights and recommendations. So please take a look, spread the word, and let us know how you’ve implemented #Ask4More in your own life. We’re here for you and we’re all in this together.

Discover Equal Pay Day and #ask4more campaign to end the wage gap once and for all.

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