You buy your cupcake for $1, but mine is $.77

Why does your cupcake cost more than mine, you ask? Well, if you are a man, it actually will cost you more at the upcoming Equality Bake Sale at Jane Hibbard Idema Women’s Study Center at Aquinas College. This is because on average, women make 77 cents per dollar that men make in the workplace.
 

This annual event demonstrates the wage gap inequity.
 

“The center started holding the event to raise awareness about the wage gap problem in the United States,” explains event organizer Nathan Lundy. “Having a bake sale to demonstrate this gap is a fun, but still an educating way to bring light to this situation.  Every year, the event is tied in with Valentine’s Day.”
 

Imagine if all prices for goods reflected the gendered wage gap. 
 

Nationally, Michigan ranks 42nd on the list for inequity at 74% with median incomes of $48,953 for men and $36,413 for women, according to the 2010 US Census.  A staggering statistic, but this doesn’t deter the group. 
 

Their goal is to raise money to donate to the scholarship fund at the Women’s Resource Center, a local nonprofit organization that focuses on improving women’s workplace and economic opportunities. It is also their notion to continue to raise awareness and impact the wage differential between men and women.
 

You can help too. Be a do-gooder and get involved. Even buy a cupcake:
 

• Learn more about the Jane Hibbard Idema Women’s Study Center at Aquinas College 

• Join their facebook page

• Attend the Equality Bake Sale and buy some goodies on Feb 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Academic Building Lobby
 

Source: Nathan Lundy, Jane Hibbard Idema Women’s Study Center at Aquinas College

Writer: Jennifer Wilson, Do Good Editor