Cookie banner

This site uses cookies. Select "Block all non-essential cookies" to only allow cookies necessary to display content and enable core site features. Select "Accept all cookies" to also personalize your experience on the site with ads and partner content tailored to your interests, and to allow us to measure the effectiveness of our service.

To learn more, review our Cookie Policy, Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.

or
clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

L'Oréal, Gap, and Amazon Sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge

Photo: Yuri Gripas/Getty Images

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Today is the United States of Women White House Summit, a rallying cry for gender equality. There's a huge list of speakers, including famous faces like Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes, Amy Poehler, and Mariska Hargitay. President Obama gave an inspiring speech in which he referred to himself as a "feminist"; and later on today, Michelle Obama and Oprah will join in conversation on the topic (follow along here with the live stream).

But beyond conversation, there's some real action being taken: 28 companies are taking the Equal Pay Pledge, including several fashion, retail, and beauty companies. Gap Inc., L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson, and Amazon are among companies that have committed toward closing the pay gap between men and women.

That includes conducting an annual gender pay analysis, review hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias. The goal is to help close the national wage gap and ensure fairness for all workers, with concrete results.

"The pledge is to actually take action," Tina Tchen, executive director for the White House’s Council on Women and Girls, told the Wall Street Journal.

That's especially meaningful at companies where women are at the focus — as leaders and as customers. Speakers at today's White House summit included SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan, Nicole Baldwin of Biao Skincare, Miki Agrawal of underwear brand THINX, and Carol's Daughter founder Lisa Price.

Even in the fashion and beauty worlds, however, women are the customers but not always the powerful leaders at the helm. That applies to high fashion (think of the biggies: Dior, Saint Laurent, Chanel, Gucci...) as well as mainstream retail: According to a October 2015 report by Mic, all 15 mass-market apparel companies on the Fortune 500 list have male CEOs.

For the women who do make it to the top, the least they can hope for is payment equal to their male counterparts.