Natasha Lamb is managing partner and co-founder of Arjuna Capital, an impact-investing firm. Jennifer Klein is the chief strategy and policy officer at TIME'S UP, a nonprofit organization that fights gender inequality at work. The opinions expressed in this commentary are their own.
.leftside-floating-image { float:left; width:100%; max-width: 350px; display:block; margin:0 1.5rem 1rem 0; } @media screen and { .leftside-floating-image { width:100%; display:block; margin:0 auto 1.5rem; } The US Women's National Soccer Team has ignited a fire and jumpstarted a powerful new movement for gender pay equity worldwide. Fresh off earning their fourth world championship, the team has turned their attention to a fight at home: the fight for pay equity. And it's personal.
The pay gap not only holds women back — making it harder for them to support themselves and their families — but it's bad for business. It creates a structural barrier for building diverse, innovative and outperforming teams. Yet, at the current pace of change, it's estimated that the gender and racial pay gap won't be closed for a century.
Public policy matters, and we need to continue to advocate for stronger laws. Federal legislation like The Paycheck Fairness Act, which would prohibit employers from using salary history to benchmark a new employees' salary, has bipartisan support yet is stalled in Congress.