$14.5 billion. That’s how much Colorado women collectively lose to the wage gap each year.

That’s about $9,938 for each working woman in Colorado. Put another way, that’s enough for nearly 11 more months of child care, more than a year’s worth of groceries for an entire family, or nearly nine more months of rent.

→ What would you do with an extra $10,000 each year? Join me on April 10th (Equal Pay Day) for a MeetUp at Rico’s Cafe and Wine Bar, and let’s talk about it!

Equal Pay Day is the day that symbolizes how much longer into the following year that women, on average, have to work to earn what white men earned in just 12 months. Equal Pay Day is a good opportunity to talk about the wage gap, how it impacts everyone, what it’s going to take to close the gap, and how we can work on that together.

So we’re thrilled to be partnering with local businesses across the country to raise awareness about the wage gap, and we’re very excited that Poor Richard’s and Rico’s Cafe are our partners in Colorado!

At the Equal Pay Day MeetUp, you’ll have a chance to meet MomsRising staff and members in your area. We'll share opportunities for you to get involved locally with securing equal pay, passing paid family and medical leave, and other campaigns to support working moms and families!

→ Can I count on you to join me and MomsRising on April 10th at Rico’s?

Here are some more details about our MeetUp:

What: A chance to meet MomsRising staff (me!) and members and to support a local business that supports Equal Pay.

When: Tuesday, April 10th from 4:30 - 6:30pm

Please join at any time!

Where: Rico's Cafe and Wine Bar - 322 N Tejon, Colorado Springs 80903

Who: You, your family, and your friends - everyone is welcome!

→ RSVP for the Equal Pay Day MeetUp now!

Here’s why equal pay matters: The wage gap adds up for women in Colorado. Women make up nearly half of the workforce and earn more college degrees than men. But in Colorado, the typical woman working full-time, year-round in 2016 took home only 81¢ to a man’s $1.00. And the wage gap is even larger for women of color: Asian women are paid 70 cents, Black women are paid 64 cents, and Latinas are paid 54 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.

And moms experience increased wage hits on top of these gaps. In the United States, mothers are breadwinners in half of families with children under 18. Yet the wage gap for mothers is larger than for women overall. Colorado mothers with full-time, year-round jobs are paid just 70 cents for every dollar paid to fathers.

Opponents of equal pay policies often brush off the wage gap as a myth – or as something that only exists because of the choices women make about jobs. But that is simply not the case. Even when controlling for job type, education, hours worked, etc. economists consistently find that the gap cannot be fully explained away by anything other than discrimination. And that gap occurs across occupations.

While it’s super easy to get overwhelmed by the huge impact of the wage gap, there are tangible solutions to helping secure equal pay for Colorado women! Some examples of policies changes that will help include: protections that help identify and challenge discriminatory pay and employment practices and address gender-based occupational segregation, minimum wage increases, family friendly workplace supports like paid family and medical leave and paid sick days, affordable child care, and access to comprehensive reproductive health care.

→ Join MomsRising at our Equal Pay Day MeetUp to learn more about how we can pass these policies in Colorado!

Together, we’re a powerful force for women and families in CO.