International Equal Pay Day 2025, September 18th.

FORUM: ''Equal pay – a fundamental right and a cornerstone of sustainable development and gender equality.'' International Equal Pay Day 2025. cross all regions, women are paid less than men, with the gender pay gap estimated at around 20% globally.Celebrated on September 18th, the observance r epresents the longstanding efforts towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value. It further builds on the United Nations' commitment to human rights and against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against women and girls. During the day, we celebrate achievements and discuss the challenges on the way to achieve equal pay and make a new equal pay pledge. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #EqualPayDay, #GenerationEquality, #SDG5, #EqualPay and #18September.

EVENT: On September 18th, a High-Level Pledging Event to mark International Equal Pay Day from 5:30 to 7:30 pm EDT organized by the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), which is led by the International Labour Organization, the UN Women, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was held. Register to participate!

In the lead-up to the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSS-WSSD2) in November 2025, EPIC is hosting a side event. The event features a dynamic “EPIC Debate”, between a representative each from employers’ and workers’ organizations, intended to foster an open, thought-provoking discussion on the challenges, and opportunities and solutions for achieving equal pay for work of equal value. The side event will be both a celebration of progress made and a call to action, affirming that closing the gender pay gap is not an optional ambition, but a necessary step toward achieving social justice, equality, and sustainable economic development for all. The Objectives of the side event aims to: • Reaffirm the global commitment to closing the discriminatory gender pay gap as a fundamental principle and right at work, a key pillar of social justice, sustainable development, and economic resilience, in alignment with the spirit of the upcoming World Social Summit. • Reinforce equal pay for work of equal value as a shared goal that benefits workers, businesses and society at large. • Highlight the urgency of achieving equal pay for work of equal value and position pay equity as a human right and social development imperative. • Facilitate a dynamic dialogue and exchange among participants through an open and engaging EPIC Debate. • Strengthen networks of collaboration and mutual support among stakeholders committed to achieving gender pay equity, fostering whole-of-society approaches that are essential for transformative and sustainable progress. • Amplify the visibility of EPIC’s mission and expand its reach, encouraging deeper engagement and wider alliances in the global movement toward pay equity.

Approximately 60 participants are expected, including representatives from the United Nations, governments and their permanent missions, the private sector, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society, and academia. EPIC members attending the EPIC Technical and Steering Committee meetings in New York will also be present. Get the agenda programme!

Statement of the UN Women statement for International Equal Pay Day, 18 September 2025.

On International Equal Pay Day, UN Women stands in solidarity with women workers across the globe in the ongoing effort to close the gender pay gap and achieve equal pay for work of equal value.

Three decades ago, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action committed governments to legislate and enforce equal pay for work of equal value—a pledge reaffirmed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet, deep-rooted and systemic inequalities persist. Women still earn on average 20 per cent less than men worldwide, with even wider gaps for women from racial and ethnic minorities, women with disabilities, and migrant women. This discriminatory gap erodes women’s rights, undermines income security, and holds back inclusive, sustainable economic growth.

With less than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, UN Women underscores the urgency of coordinated action to close the gender pay gap. As a co-lead of the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) alongside ILO and OECD, we continue to advance this agenda in partnership with governments, employers, workers’ organizations, international institutions, and research bodies. Governments must set the legal and policy frameworks for wage equity and decent work; employers must embed them through transparent pay practices, equity audits, and gender-responsive workplaces; and workers’ organizations must drive social dialogue and collective bargaining. With evidence and technical support from international institutions and research bodies, and the active engagement of the private sector, civil society, and academia, we can eliminate the pay gap and realize women’s full economic empowerment.

As the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly opens in New York, we reaffirm the UN Charter’s call for international cooperation and respect for human rights. Equal pay for work of equal value, enshrined in ILO Convention 100, is both a fundamental right and a cornerstone of sustainable development and gender equality. We call on all stakeholders to renew their commitment, join EPIC, and step up collective action to close the gender pay gap once and for all.

LIVESTREAM: 10 Años de Lucha - Honoring 10 Years of the Latina Equal Pay Campaign | PVBLIC Foundation.

October 8, 2025 is Latina Equal Pay Day, and this year is the 10th anniversary of the Latina Equal Pay campaign. For the last decade it has marked the day we call attention to the pay gap that Latinas face in the United States and across the world.

For all Latinas with reported earnings, the pay gap is, on average 54 cents for every dollar made by white, non-Hispanic men in the United States. This number is much lower for immigrant Latinas. The pay gap for Latinas persists across borders, with factors such as gender-based violence and discrimination being central contributors to this lack of economic security.

Fireside Chat: Mónica Ramírez and Alicia Menendez
Movement Reflections: Representative Jessica Gonzáles Rojas, Vannessa Vasquez, Ivana de Maria, Liz Shuler
Recognition of Champions of Change - Presented by Mónica Ramírez
- Catherine Hinshaw
- Ana Flores
- Fatima Goss Graves
- Jessica González-Rojas
- Xochitl Oseguera
- Ariane Hegewisch
- Kelley Bruner
- Liliana Gil Valleta
- Vannessa Vasquez
- Ivana de Maria
- Deb Vagins
- Diana Maria Riva
- Lisa Vidal
- Karla Pineda
- Charlotte Castillo
- Jocelyn Frye
- Maya Raghu
- Noreen Farrell
- Rosa Raquel Cavazos accepting on behalf of MANA
- Liz Schuler
- Janet Murguia
- Yvette Peña
- Jennylee Ramos Familia, accepting on behalf of ALPFA

Watch the 10 Años de Lucha - Honoring 10 Years of the Latina Equal Pay Campaign | PVBLIC Foundation!

Side Events

CAMPAIGN: Join the global campaign Equal Pay Work for Equal Value!

International Equal Pay Day 2024; September 18th.

FORUM: “Pay of the Future: Solutions to close the Gender Pay Gap.” International Equal Pay Day 2024. The Gender Pay Gap remains critical, with women earning about 20% less than men globally. During the day, we will celebrate achievements and discuss the challenges on the way to achieving equal pay as well as provide an opportunity for you to make a new equal pay pledge. Across all regions, women are paid less than men, with the gender pay gap estimated at around 20% globally. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls continue to be held back owing to the persistence of historical and structural unequal power relations between women and men, poverty and inequalities and disadvantages in access to resources and opportunities that limit women’s and girls’ capabilities. Progress on narrowing that gap has been slow. While equal pay for men and women has been widely endorsed, applying it in practice has been difficult. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promote decent work and economic growth by seeking full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. Mainstreaming of a gender perspective is crucial in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Achieving equal pay is an important milestone for human rights and gender equality. It takes the effort of the entire world community and more work remains to be done. Follow the conversation with the hashtags #EqualPayDay, #GenerationEquality, #SDG5, #EqualPay and #18September.

EVENTS: You are invited attend a High-Level Pledging Event to mark International Equal Pay Day 2024 on September 18th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm EDT organized by the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), which is led by the International Labour Organization , the UN Women, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The participants are invited to share lessons learned and good practices that can be adapted and applied to different contexts. The event will also highlight multi-stakeholder and whole-of-society approaches that are effecting change, in line with the reinvigoration of multilateralism seen at the Summit of the Future 2024. Register to participate!

PUBLICATIONS: Why Women Earn Less: Gender Pay Gap and Labour Market Inequalities in East and Southern Africa (UN Women); Women in Business: How Employer and Business Membership Organizations Drive Gender Equality (IOE-ACT/EMP); Understanding the Gender Pay Gap.

INFOGRAPHICS: Eliminating the gender pay gap can provide incentives for more women to be economically active, which would advance gender equality and create a virtuous circle. 

Studies have linked increased labour participation rates of women with higher levels of GDP. The ILO estimates that reducing the gap in participation rates between men and women by 25 per cent by the year 2025, could raise global GDP by 3.9 per cent, or US$5.8 trillion.

High Income Countries - Mean gender pay gaps using monthly earnings, selected countries by income group.

Upper-middle income - Mean gender pay gaps using monthly earnings, selected countries by income group.

Lower-middle income Countries - Mean gender pay gaps using monthly earnings, selected countries by income group.

Low income Countries - Mean gender pay gaps using monthly earnings, selected countries by income group.

International Equal Pay Day 2023; September 18th.

FORUM: “Equal pay for work of equal value.” International Equal Pay Day 2023. During the day, we will celebrate achievements and discuss the challenges on the way to achieving equal pay as well as provide an opportunity for you to make a new equal pay pledge. Across all regions, women are paid less than men, with the gender pay gap estimated at around 20% globally. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls continue to be held back owing to the persistence of historical and structural unequal power relations between women and men, poverty and inequalities and disadvantages in access to resources and opportunities that limit women’s and girls’ capabilities. Progress on narrowing that gap has been slow. While equal pay for men and women has been widely endorsed, applying it in practice has been difficult. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promote decent work and economic growth by seeking full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. Mainstreaming of a gender perspective is crucial in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Achieving equal pay is an important milestone for human rights and gender equality. It takes the effort of the entire world community and more work remains to be done. Follow the conversation with the hashtags #EqualPayDay, #GenerationEquality, #SDG5, #EqualPay and #18September.


Opening statement of UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous to the second regular session of the Executive Board, held in UN Headquarters, 12 September 2023.

EVENTS: You are invited attend a High-Level Pledging Event to mark International Equal Pay Day 2023 on Monday, September 18th from 6 to 8:30pm EDT at the w. Westin New York Grand Central. The event entitled :“Standing up for equal pay – celebrating achievements and understanding challenges,”, aims to give countries an opportunity to make new equal pay pledges. It is organized by the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), which is led by the International Labour Organization , the UN Women, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

WEBINARS: A OECD EMnet-EPIC Webinar entitled ‘‘How companies can move the needle through the equal pay international coalition.” was held on Monday, September 11th, from 15:00 – 16:00 CEST | 9:00 – 10:00 EDT; This online event will feature discussions on the collaborative efforts led by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), UN Women, and the OECD to champion the principle of achieving equal pay for women and men worldwide, along with the pivotal role of the private sector in committing to this target .Register to participate.

International Equal Pay Day 2022; September 18th.

FORUM: "Addressing the gender pay gap through transparency and information sharing." International Equal Pay Day 2022.

Globally, women on average, are paid about 20 per cent less than men. While individual characteristics such as education, working time, occupational segregation, skills, or experience explain part of the gender pay gap, a large part is due to discrimination based on one’s gender or sex. In addition, women have been among the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including in terms of their income security, representation in sectors hardest hit, and gendered division of family responsibilities. All of these have led to a negative impact on women’s employment, threatening to reverse decades of progress made towards gender equality. Taking action to address these setbacks on gender equality as countries emerge from the pandemic is not only relevant and timely but also critical for an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient recovery. Follow the conversation with the hastags #EqualPayDay, #GenerationEquality, #SDG5, #EqualPay, #18September

WEBINAR: Can pay transparency measures help reduce the gender pay gap?

Join the webinar organized by the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC)
Date: Friday, 16 September 2022.
Time: 9:30 – 10:45 EDT, 15:30 – 16:45 CEST.

As such, the importance of closing gender pay gaps is now more than ever recognized by governments, employers’, and workers’ organizations. Over the past few years, more and more governments are proposing to address the gender pay gap through transparency and information sharing. Recent research, albeit limited, has shown that pay transparency measures, depending on how they are put in place, can serve as an effective tool in identifying existing pay differences between men and women, and as such can be vehicles to address the gender pay gap and reduce broader gender inequalities in the labour market.

EVENTS

The International Equal Pay Day 2022 will be celebrated on 18 September For this occasion; The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) would like to use this occasion to highlight some of the pay transparency measures being implemented in different parts of the world, including various tools and responses to key questions. Leaders from different countries, as well as representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations will come together to discuss the pros and cons of some of the pay transparency measures currently in place, its potential and actual effectiveness on reducing the gender pay gap, and consequently, broader gender inequalities in the labour market.