The US Department of Labor (DOL) is teaming up with the public to increase awareness and solve problems through the US government’s Challenge.gov program. As part of the program, the DOL proposed several mobile application challenges and is making the results accessible to anyone with a smartphone, tablet or a computer. The contests are part of the DOL’s ongoing efforts to increase awareness and showcase innovative uses of the Department’s data.
For its most recent challenge, the DOL asked developers to use publicly available data and resources to create easy-to-use applications to educate users about the pay gap between men and women and provide tools to combat it.
Did you know nearly 50 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, women, on average, are still paid less than men? For the average working woman, the pay gap means $150 less in her weekly paycheck, $8,000 less at the end of the year, and $389,000 less over a lifetime. For women of color and women with disabilities, the disparity is even bigger.
The Equal Pay App Challenge winners are:
- Aequitas: Provides current wage data, interview, resume and negotiation tools, Equal Pay Act information and links to equal pay-related social networks/discussions.
- Close the Wage Gap: Educates users about the gender wage gap and merges data from multiple sources to inform and provide tools to eliminate the wage gap.
- Gender Gap App: Boosts public awareness of the salary differences between men and women who are doing the same jobs. The app is both fun and educational.
- Demand Equal Pay for Women: Allows users to compare by industry and occupation what they’re making with national averages giving users a tool that’s useful in salary negotiations.
Check back here to find links to new applications. Or, get in on the fun and develop your own app at Challenge.gov.