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Tag: equal pay

  • Fact Check: Equal Pay Quote Misattributed To Charlie Kirk By Parody Account On X — Originally Attributed To Mike Honda

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    Did Charlie Kirk say “Equal pay isn’t just a women’s issue; when women get equal pay, their family incomes rise and the whole family benefits.”? No, there’s no evidence for that: The quote is widely attributed to former U.S. Representative Michael M. Honda. It was attributed to Charlie Kirk by a parody account on X named “Rep. Jack Kimble” which pretends to be a non-existent Republican politician.

    The post (archived here) with the quote appeared on September 22, 2025 with a comment that read:

    I hope that I can carry on this amazing legacy.

    This was the image in question:

    Image source: @RepJackKimble on X.com.

    The quote that was attributed to Charlie Kirk in the image read:

    “Equal pay isn’t just a women’s issue; when women get equal pay, their family incomes rise and the whole family benefits.”

    However, a Google Search for the quote in question brings up many results attributing it to Mike Honda (archived here). A search for the same quote in combination with the name “Charlie Kirk” brings up just one result (archived here), a 2016 story about Equal Pay Day. That article (archived here) also attributed the quote to Mike Honda, who is a former U.S. Representative from California.

    Unlike Mike Honda, “Rep. Jack Kimble” is not a real politician. The description for the X account “Rep. Jack Kimble” (archived here) reads:

    Republican Representing CA’s 54th Dist. & co-sponsor of Poe’s Law. Detective Jesus #1: Thou Shalt Not Kill is out on Amazon http://amzn.to/3aDgUmi.

    A search of the U.S. House of Representatives’ official directory (archived here) turned up no trace of any current member of Congress called Jack Kimble, whether from California or any other state.

    Jack Kimble - House.png

    Jack Kimble – House.png

    (Source: House.gov screenshot.)

    The same directory (archived here) showed that California has 52 congressional districts — not 54, as stated in the Rep. Jack Kimble account on X.

    A link in the account’s description went to a page on amazon.com for an eBook by “Jack Kimble” titled, “Detective Jesus #1: Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Clicking on Kimble’s name led to a description of him on his Amazon profile page (archived here) that identified the Jack Kimble character as “the brainchild of a Chicago school teacher” and all about “political satire.”

    The description read, in part:

    Jack Kimble is the Congressman from California’s faux 54th District. In reality he is the brainchild of a Chicago school teacher. Kimble began making a name for himself on both Twitter and the blogosphere in 2009 with his unique brand of political satire.

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  • Women are now less likely to be in top earning 1% of U.K. finance and professional services jobs than before the pandemic

    Women are now less likely to be in top earning 1% of U.K. finance and professional services jobs than before the pandemic

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    Women in the U.K. are four times less likely than men to be among the top 1% of earners in financial and professional services, according to analysis by the London School of Economics. And despite decades of efforts to narrow the gender gap in pay and career progression, it’s gotten slightly bigger since before the pandemic.

    In brief

    Women occupy 19.4% of the top 1% highest finance and professional services roles, down slightly from the three year pre-Covid average of 19.7%. 

    However, while still far from equal, women’s share of the top 10% of positions was higher, at 28.3%, and has shown signs of progress, increasing by 2.5 percentage points over the period.  

    The LSE analysis, which drew on the U.K.’s main survey of economic activity, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), from January 2017 to June 2023, also found some rebalancing in terms of seniority. Women now comprise 37% of senior managers and directors in professional services and finance, roughly the same as the percentage of female full-time employees.

    Why hasn’t gender equality improved more?

    The persistent gender seniority gap, which widens as you get closer to the top of the career ladder, suggests corporate efforts to narrow it—with all the well-documented benefits it brings of access to talent and more diverse thinking—have been insufficient. 

    The reasons behind it are complex, including a significant career penalty for mothers but not for fathers, bias—whether blatant or unconscious—and wider societal factors that disadvantage women’s careers, such as a higher average burden of household chores, and child and elder care responsibilities. 

    These factors have proven stubborn over many years, so in a way the question to ask is why would they have improved, in the absence of major changes in attitudes or behaviours?

    Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic may have set back gender equality, as layoffs disproportionately affected women, while businesses have a tendency to defund diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs when trading conditions are tough. In the U.S., this has been compounded by a conservative backlash against affirmative action, often through legal means.  

    “We are going backwards, but I am not surprised. For progress to be made there needs to be a bigger shift towards recognizing that diversity is good for business. There also needs to be significant investment in upskilling managers to become inclusive leaders recognizing that leading diverse teams is a skill. Without it, I will be giving the same quote 10 years from now,” said Dr Grace Lordan, founding director of The Inclusion Initiative at LSE and associate professor in its Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science.

    Hybrid working may have been expected to favor working mothers, but there is evidence that people who work remotely suffer a career disadvantage compared with those who come into the office, while return-to-office orders have started pushing moms out of the workplace. 

    What’s next?

    The trend towards more equal gender representation in mid-senior roles and among the top 10% of earners is encouraging, particularly coming in relatively male-dominated sectors like finance and professional services. 

    It would be reasonable to expect knock-on effects on the most senior and well-paid roles in the coming decade, simply because more women will have had the experience necessary to be considered. 

    However, the trend persists that women’s chances of progression decrease with every level of seniority. Until that dynamic changes, the gap will remain considerable. 

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    Adam Gale

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  • Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines seal deal for 22% pay hikes next month

    Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines seal deal for 22% pay hikes next month

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    Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines have ratified a contract that includes pay raises totaling more than 33% over four years, as airline workers continue to benefit from the industry’s recovery since the pandemic.

    The Transport Workers Union said Wednesday that members of Local 556 approved the contract by a margin of 81% to 19%. The union’s board rejected a lower offer last summer, and flight attendants voted against a second proposal in December.

    Southwest has about 20,000 flight attendants. They will get raises of more than 22% on May 1 and annual increases of 3% in each of the following three years.

    The union said the contract provides record gains for flight attendants and sets a standard for other flight attendants. Cabin crews at United Airlines and American Airlines, which are represented by other unions, are still negotiating contracts.

    The union said the deal gives Southwest crews the shortest on-duty day and highest pay in the industry, compensation during disruptions like the Southwest meltdown in December 2022, and industry-first paid maternity and parental leave. Workers will also split $364 million in ratification bonuses, according to the union.

    Dallas-based Southwest, the nation’s fourth-biggest airline, said the contract includes changes in scheduling and will help the airline’s operation.

    Pilot unions at Delta, United, American and Southwest approved contracts last year that raised pay by more than one-third over several years. This week, Delta said its flight attendants and other nonunion workers will get 5% raises.

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    The Associated Press

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  • New York state wants companies to protect their LGBTQ+ Gen Z and millennial workers—and it’s throwing a $260 billion retirement fund at the issue

    New York state wants companies to protect their LGBTQ+ Gen Z and millennial workers—and it’s throwing a $260 billion retirement fund at the issue

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    Money talks. That’s what Thomas DiNapoli, comptroller of the state of New York, is counting on when it comes to LGBTQ+ protections in the workplace. 

    In what seem to be the first ever moves of their kind, DiNapoli’s New York State Common Retirement Fund, which manages $260 billion in assets, is pushing for more details about companies’ human capital management strategy work related to LGBTQ+ employees.

    In proxy statements published this month, $45 billion Lennar Corp. and $13.5 billion International Paper disclosed matching shareholder proposals from the retirement fund. The proposals are backed by a supporting statement explaining that demographic shifts show that 20.8% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ+, which is twice that of the 10.5% of millennials who identify that way. Furthermore, a third of people who identify as LGBTQ+ report experiencing harassment or discrimination in recent years and, nearly half, 45.5%, report facing discrimination at some point in their lives.

    Lennar and International Paper have recommended that investors vote against both proposals.

    Expanding focus

    The proposal is a new front in some investors’ quest to get more expansive data on diversity from companies, and similar efforts have been fruitful in obtaining more granularity on policies related to gender, race, and ethnicity. Now, investors are expanding their focus to include LGBTQ+ employees. Investors have used the more detailed reporting in recent years to hold boards and C-suite teams to account for public diversity pledges on investments, promotion among senior executive ranks and recruitment of new employees.

    Accordingly, companies should tell investors whether they have equitable employee benefits, non-discrimination policies and employee support groups, the New York fund wrote in the statement. In the proposals at both Lennar and International Paper, New York referred to the companies’ own disclosures about inclusivity in the workforce, respect for diverse backgrounds and their general statements about fostering high-performing workplace cultures via their diversity efforts. New York holds about $15.8 million in International Paper stock and $33 million in Lennar stock, according to the fund’s 2023 asset listing. 

    Both proposals quoted a 2019 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Business Success and Growth Through LGBT-Inclusive Culture. “Companies that adopt LGBT-inclusive practices tend to improve their financial standing and do better than companies that do not adopt them. Additionally, employees, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, express greater job satisfaction at companies where these practices are in place.”

    Miami-headquartered homebuilder Lennar’s board wrote that the company was “built on a culture of inclusivity” and brings together the best talent to drive the success of the “Lennar family.” The board said its “Everyone’s Included” initiative represents an evolution of that focus, including an advisory council that brings together diverse cross-representation. Its code of ethics and business conduct already specifically prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of “color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other legally protected status,” the board said. “Producing the proposed report is unnecessary and inefficient.”

    International Paper board members said its annual report discussed diversity and inclusion initiatives, including its long-term goals. “Among the Company’s primary Vision 2030 Goals, the Company aims to promote employee well-being by providing safe, caring, and inclusive workplaces and strengthening the resilience of its communities,” the board said (emphasis in original).

    The company also has a global diversity and inclusion council and employee networking groups. “Requiring the Company to produce an additional report limited to a subset of its overall diversity, equity and inclusion efforts would prove unduly burdensome for the Company, divert time and attention of Company management, and give rise to undue expenses, all while providing little to no additional value considering the Company’s robust diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, culture and disclosure practices, including with respect to LGBTQ+ matters,” the IP board said.

    The proposals are an escalation from the fund’s efforts last year that involved writing letters to 55 portfolio companies that signed the Human Rights Campaign and Freedom for All American Business Statement on Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation. The campaign prompted new discussions about workplace policies, the state said in an annual report. 

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    Amanda Gerut

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  • How a Grandma Who Made $35k Earns 7 Figures in Retirement | Entrepreneur

    How a Grandma Who Made $35k Earns 7 Figures in Retirement | Entrepreneur

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    When 14-year-old Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini was adopted from Korea by an American couple, she didn’t know English or much about the U.S. — only that it was supposed to be a place of “freedom.”

    But she was determined to make her adoptive parents proud. “I had to learn to love somebody — a stranger, basically,” Kim-Manzolini says. “But I was willing to do that because they were willing to take me in as part of the family.”

    Kim-Manzolini did everything her parents told her she should do: studied hard, got good grades, went to college. After graduation, Kim-Manzolini landed her “dream job” as a certified medical assistant, and she fell in love with taking care of patients.

    Related: Making the Move from Medicine to Entrepreneurship

    “I thought to myself, There’s no way I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.”

    Yet despite following the “right” path and working hard in her career, Kim-Manzolini, like so many Americans, found herself “living paycheck to paycheck” and “struggling to pay the bills.”

    “I thought, This is crazy,” she recalls. “Why am I suffering financially? I’m working 40 hours a week. That should be enough, right?“

    Of course, it wasn’t — especially since Kim-Manzolini was raising children as a single mother after leaving an abusive marriage. Her then-husband told her she wouldn’t be able to provide for her family on her own and would end up on welfare.

    “And I thought to myself, He might be right,” Kim-Manzolini says. “But I’m not going to let him [box] me into that. Because I could work as many jobs as I needed to.”

    So Kim-Manzolini did. For years, she spent her evenings and limited days off working different jobs to make ends meet: selling vacuums, running a catering business, cleaning houses. Through it all, she continued working as a medical assistant. But the constant grind wore on her.

    “At one point, I thought to myself, There’s no way I’m going to do this for the rest of my life,” Kim-Manzolini recalls. “I need to change to a different job, do different things that will make me money to the point where I could at least take my kids on a vacation or have a day off and spend my time with my kids on the weekends.”

    What’s more, Kim-Manzolini couldn’t fathom working so hard for so long only to be too old to actually enjoy her retirement; she saw the scenario play out time and again in her line of medical work, where patients retired just to “spend all their money on doctor’s bills, emergency rooms and assisted living.”

    Related: How Much Money Do You Really Need in Retirement?

    “I went over my goal, and I thought, Oh my gosh. I was shocked.”

    Kim-Manzolini knew she needed to find more lucrative sources of income — and she started looking into real estate, considering opportunities as an agent and investor in 2014.

    It was while Kim-Manzolini and her new husband were attending real estate classes that she first learned of options trading. “What are you going to do with all of the money you make in real estate?” People asked her. “Why don’t you look into options trading?”

    Although Kim-Manzolini didn’t know anything about options trading at the time, she was familiar with buying and selling stocks. She worked for a doctor who talked about his portfolio, but Kim-Manzolini had always felt it was “over her head” and that she couldn’t afford to invest on her salary.

    “[Options trading] was intriguing because I didn’t have a lot of money, and it was really, really cheap,” Kim-Manzolini says. She began to research what it would take to get into options trading but was dismayed to discover that it would require a computer. She didn’t own or know how to use one at that point.

    But when she retired one year later, in December 2015, Kim-Manzolini needed a new way to sustain herself — she had no money in her checking or savings accounts, and it was too soon to touch the pension plan, 401k and other retirement accounts she’d built up over the past 33 years.

    I’d decided that I was going to study options trading — not knowing what kind of results I would get.

    So, in January 2016, when her husband returned to work and her son to school, Kim-Manzolini announced that she was getting to work as well.

    “My husband and my son said, ‘Huh, you just retired. What are you going to work for?’,” Kim-Manzolini says. “And I said, ‘I’m going downstairs to my office.’ I’d decided that I was going to study options trading — not knowing what kind of results I would get.”

    Kim-Manzolini taught herself how to use a computer and treated her options trading research “like it was [her] new job,” practicing Monday through Friday when the market was open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    By the end of that year, despite periods of “frustration” and “growing pains,” Kim-Manzolini had made roughly $100,000 with her practice account — and she was ready to try the real thing.

    “Of course, I still didn’t have any money,” Kim-Manzolini says. “I couldn’t touch any money, so I took out a home equity loan. Because you have to start somewhere. And I put it into my investment account, started investing and ended up making $178,000. I went over my goal, and I thought, Oh my gosh. I was shocked.”

    Image Credit: Courtesy of Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini

    Related: 50 Inspirational Quotes to Help You Achieve Your Goals

    “If you give up, then you will never find out how successful you could be.”

    Today, Kim-Manzolini, a grandmother of four, makes seven figures trading options.

    And she’s paying it forward by teaching other people, particularly single mothers, how to use her “unique miracle system” to trade options so they can spend less time working and more time on what matters most.

    “I thought, I’m going to teach this to single mothers so they no longer have to work six, seven days a week like [I did],” Kim-Manzolini says. “They no longer have to sacrifice their time; they get to watch their kids grow.”

    But anyone who aspires to financial freedom can learn from Kim-Manzolini.

    “[There are] people working nine to five for the corporate world who are overworked and underpaid,” Kim-Manzolini says. “They want to retire early. They don’t want to work forever — just like me.”

    Related: How to Make More Money in 2023, According to The FI Couple

    Kim-Manzolini credits her success to perseverance and the refusal to give in to fear.

    “[People] tell us some fearful things,” Kim-Manzolini says. “My kids [said], ‘Mom, you are good at medical assisting and love your job. Patients love you. Doctors love you. What are you going to do?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know. But I’m going to do something that I want to do that is not a pleasure. It’s my own time.’ [That requires] self-discipline and overcoming your fears.

    “Because a lot of us will stop when we [first] feel the fear,” Kim-Manzolini continues. “So one of the big takeaways is don’t ever give up — because if you give up, then you will never find out how successful you could be.”

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    Amanda Breen

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  • Why Paying Women An Equal Wage Helps — Not Hurts — Your Business | Entrepreneur

    Why Paying Women An Equal Wage Helps — Not Hurts — Your Business | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Just 82 cents. That’s what the average woman makes for every $1 earned by a man in the United States in 2022. It’s a shocking but not surprising statistic as women have been given increasingly more responsibilities and influence in the business world but have never received the same compensation.

    In my diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultancy, which is made up of more than 90% women, it’s unthinkable to pay them any less for their genius just because they didn’t ask or because of their gender. Yet, traditional male-dominated businesses may not see it that way.

    The pay gap has become an insidious and invisible barrier between upward mobility, equity and inclusion for women. As Equal Pay Day and International Women’s Day are both recognized during the month of March, there seems to be no better time to analyze the facts about how women’s contributions are undervalued in business and why paying them the same as men would help — not hurt — businesses in the short and long term.

    Pay women for the unique skill set that they bring

    Every gender brings something unique to the table. But one important distinction is that women offer qualities that build trust in businesses. For example, one survey found that people believe women are more ethical than men when it comes to their business dealings. In a nutshell, people perceive women as making more ethical choices that do less harm and create more good. That’s a skill set that helps, not hurts, businesses.

    The same survey also touts that women are perceived as more likely to be mentors than men. Women who lend a hand to other employees to help them gain the skills, mindset, and abilities to level up at work are an asset, not a burden. Shouldn’t offering mentorship and being present for new workers be qualities worth paying extra for?

    In the same survey, women were also thought to offer better pay and benefits. In my consultancy, I’m proud to offer generous paid time off, complete remote-working capabilities, and competitive pay. It’s not because I’m a woman that I offer these benefits and perks. It’s because I have an understanding of how work-life balance (or work-life blend as I call it) promotes greater well-being, longer retention and higher quality of work. To me, it’s a no-brainer to pay women exceptionally well for their unique contributions.

    Related: 4 Ways Women Entrepreneurs Can Lead With Compassion

    Beyond perception, what is the actual outcome of paying women more in male-dominated organizations? What would happen if women who didn’t ask for raises were given them in line with those received by their male colleagues in similar positions? The results may seem idealistic, but I believe equal pay for women would absolutely and definitively change the internal and external dynamics of your business.

    Paying women more helps them stay longer in your organization

    As part of the great Great Resignation of 2021, thousands of women were leaving their jobs at higher rates than in years prior. That was partly because of a lack of upward mobility where for every 100 men promoted, only 87 women were promoted. But it was also related to pay. It’s no secret that people are more likely to get a pay raise if they leave a job than if they stay. In recent years, job switchers made up to 8.5% more money when they left a job for something new. If your business employs high-performing women but you don’t pay them the same wages as you give their male counterparts, it’s likely that they’re going to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Choosing to turn a blind eye to the pay gap between men and women is causing businesses to lose essential talent that could have been retained with fair and competitive wages.

    Related: The Gender Wage Gap Inspires More Women to Create Their Own Paycheck

    Paying women more promotes higher confidence at work

    Confident women lead, show up and perform better. And the link between higher pay and confidence is apparent. A study published in the National Academy of Sciences showed there was a correlation between higher pay and confidence amongst women in STEM fields. The higher the women were paid, the more “self-efficacy” or confidence they possessed. Women who know they are paid equally to their male counterparts seem to be more self-actualized at work than women who aren’t paid equally and know it. The result can often be better work performance, a stronger presence in important meetings, and more self-confidence that they’ll get the results that their organization is looking for.

    Paying women more promotes mutual respect between the genders

    While some men are offended by women who make the same amount of money they do, other men may have more respect and see women as equals when they know they’re receiving similar compensation. It’s no secret that wealthier and more powerful individuals may not always treat less well-paid individuals with courtesy and high regard. There’s a destructive power dynamic that a pay gap can create, especially when it’s a large pay gap. But equal pay in the workplace can minimize the power dynamic of the haves vs. the have-nots and promote more respect between the genders. Mutual respect in the workplace has been shown to reduce stress, improve productivity and create a fairer workplace environment for all.

    Paying women more promotes pay transparency and workplace morale

    Employees want to be in workplaces where they can trust the leadership and management. Pay transparency has been shown to have positive effects not just on women but on all employees. A Harvard Business Review article found that pay transparency not only benefits employees who realize they aren’t getting enough, but it also boosts the perception of trust, fairness, and task performance for everyone at the company. Opening the door for women to ask for more, especially if they’re in positions equal to men in the organization, can build a more positive workplace culture that pays dividends in terms of retention, productivity and morale.

    Related: Understanding the Science and Psychology of Open Salaries

    Final thoughts

    Most businesses operate on a don’t ask, don’t tell system with regard to pay. The unspoken mentality is “what I pay you is our little secret.” However, when women don’t ask for raises and advancement, the pay gap widens. Paying women what they deserve for their unique skill set and contributions to companies is an investment, not an expense. Women who are in similar positions to men and who are carrying similar responsibilities should not earn less money simply because they’re less likely to ask for it. Peeling back the curtain on pay transparency and exposing the financial, cultural, and business development reasons behind paying women more can put your company in a unique and competitive position–one where paying women equal wages boosts the business not hinders it. This Women’s History Month, consider the benefits of paying women employees an equal wage and make an offer to match their salary to those of men in similar positions. From there, assess how equalizing pay positively influences the businesses’ bottom line and workplace culture.

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    Nika White

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