Equal Pay Playbook Launched by First Partner Siebel Newsom

In March, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom released the Equal Pay Playbook in partnership with the California Partners Project to provide companies with strategies for creating a more equitable workplace by identifying and eliminating their internal wage gap.

First Partner Newsom also announced that more than 200 California-based companies, organizations and municipalities signed the California Equal Pay Pledge on Equal Pay Day 2024 - more than doubling the number of pledge signatories on Equal Pay Day in 2023.

“Women are the backbone of their communities and the economy and the breadwinner or co-breadwinner in most households in the U.S., yet the gender wage gap continues to deliver the message that our work and our contributions have less value than men’s,” said First Partner Newsom. “While data on the wage gap may differ, it all tells the same story of inequality and a gap in pay that worsens for mothers, women of color, immigrant women and LGBTQ+ women, ultimately deepening generational poverty and slowing economic mobility. The Equal Pay Playbook is just one component of our gender equity strategy, providing companies the tools to close the gap and normalize equal pay in the workplace.”

Collectively, women in California lose approximately $87 billion annually to the gender wage gap. The Equal Pay Playbook aims to address this by giving California employers a step-bystep guide for developing a strategic approach to equitable pay that is good for Californians and will help companies attract and retain top talent, boost innovation and productivity, and enhance brand reputation. The Playbook offers six detailed and actionable steps for achieving equal pay, including conducting an internal pay equity audit and updating job descriptions and pay structure. Key contributors to the Playbook include California Equal Pay Pledge Signatories, Adobe, Mattel and Snap Inc., among other organizations.

“Despite significant progress in recent years, gender and racial wage disparities persist across the workforce. These gaps cost women, families and the entire state economy - they cost us in dollars and in lost opportunities and innovation,” said California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls executive director Holly Martinez. “As California continues to lead the way in progressive policies and practices, we must prioritize closing the wage gap as a key step in building a more equitable and prosperous future for everyone.”

“Over the past year, we’ve spoken with employers across California and listened to their insights and strategies around equal pay,” said California Partners Project executive director Carolyn Gan. “The result is the California Equal Pay Playbook, available today for the first time at Equal- PayCA.org. This playbook has something for everyone; it’s full of actionable, tangible and practical steps, no matter where a company or organization is on their pay equity journey. Equal pay benefits us all - employees and employers alike.”

The Equal Pay Playbook is a key component of the First Partner’s California for All Women Initiative and overall gender equity strategy, which also includes the Board Diversity and Board Culture Playbooks as well as the California Equal Pay Pledge.

The Equal Pay Pledge was launched in 2019 by the First Partner and is supported by the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the California Partners Project. Companies that sign the Pledge commit to conducting an annual company- wide gender pay analysis, reviewing hiring and promotion processes to reduce unconscious bias, and promoting best practices to help close the pay gap and ensure fundamental equity for all employees.

Through California for All Women, First Partner Siebel Newsom has made it a priority to center the needs of women as she makes strides to advance economic equity, equal representation and a family-first agenda. Through California for All Kids, the First Partner is championing initiatives and policies that support children’s mental and physical health and working to provide families with the tools they need to ensure their children get the best start in life.