DOL Launches Equal Pay Application Development Contest
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- Published on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 05:53
In an effort to develop new ways to eliminate the gender gap in pay, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and its federal agency partners on the National Equal Pay Task Force, announced a contest for creating software applications that use the DOL’s data to promote equal pay for men and women. According to the DOL, women are still paid less on average than their male counterparts for doing comparable jobs, and the discrepancy is even more significant for minority women. The “Equal Pay App Challenge” is asking developers “to use publicly available data and resources to create innovative, easy-to-use apps that educate users about the pay gap and provide tools to combat it. The apps should improve the accessibility of pay data broken down by gender, race and ethnicity, and provide coaching on early career pay, pay negotiation or career mentorship.” More information, including a complete list of the contest's rules and requirements, is available at http://www.challenge.gov/labor. According to Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, "Women make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force and play a vital role in the nation's economy…While progress has been made in recent decades, the pay gap continues to disadvantage many women, with consequences not only for them, but for their families and the economy as a whole."
Those applications that best meet the criteria for the challenge will be eligible to receive one of eight prizes, including scholarships to attend an eight-week immersive program on digital product innovation and entrepreneurship hosted by General Assembly, a campus for technology, design and entrepreneurship. The contest will be open for submissions from Jan. 31 until March 31; winners will be announced in connection with Equal Pay Day in April. Read More.