AAUW and ASNMU students provided free Pay Day candy bars and Pay Day statistics.

On Equal Pay Day, March 25, 2025, the AAUW Marquette Branch organized an information table at Jamrich Hall and Ore Dock Brewing Company to raise awareness about advocating for Equal Pay for women. We provided details on all Equal Pay Dates for 2025 along with Pay Day® candy bars to students and community members.

“Equal Pay Day isn’t just a symbolic date – it represents real economic impact on women and families,” said Carol Steinhaus, President, AAUW Marquette Branch. “The wage gap persists across all demographics, with particularly stark disparities for women of color, mothers, and disabled women.”

March 25 was the day that women had to work until in order to achieve the same salary that men did last year, and that is for women in general. The dates for women of other ethnic groups are even worse. The worst of all is for First Nation women, November 18, nearly a whole year. Here in the Upper Peninsula, with an Ojibwe Nation presence, we believe this is not only astonishing, but shameful. At the current rate of change, we will be lucky if our great-granddaughters have equal pay by 2088 (The Not So Simple Truth 2025 Update). This is not acceptable and AAUW is working to change that fact.

By strongly advocating for gender-friendly policies, working together to increase the value of women and mothers, and educating media and companies about this injustice, AAUW is on the forefront of making Equal Pay a reality. We believe that by eliminating educational, economical, and cultural barriers, women will be encouraged to advance in higher-paying careers and leadership positions that will allow them to not only survive but thrive and even set aside enough as men for a comfortable retirement.

“Today’s college students need to understand the wage gap realities they’ll face after graduation,” said Dana Hinckley, ASNMU President. “By bringing awareness to campus, we’re empowering young people to advocate for themselves in future salary negotiations and encouraging them to become part of the solution.”

Two significant tools in this endeavor are the AAUW Work Smart/Start Smart and the AAUW Money Smart program. These program provides a series of webinars to educate women on topics such as salary negotiation, career advancement and wealth management. The webinars are free for members and students of member universities, such as Northern Michigan University.

Members of the AAUW Marquette Branch are honored to be a part of an organization that promotes equality for ALL and we will continue to advocate for anyone who identifies as a woman and hope that you will join us.