International Equal Pay Day
A/RES/74/142
A/RES/74/142
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
International Equal Pay Day is observed on 18 September to promote the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and to keep pay equity visible in public policy, workplaces and economic participation.
The United Nations established the annual observance in 2019, with the first International Equal Pay Day marked on 18 September 2020.
Why it matters
Equal pay for work of equal value is broader than comparing two identical job titles. It asks whether work requiring comparable skill, responsibility, effort and working conditions is valued fairly without discrimination.
The observance is also a useful point for examining structural factors that contribute to pay gaps, including occupational segregation, unequal access to advancement and the distribution of unpaid care responsibilities.
History
On 11 July 2019, the UN Human Rights Council adopted resolution 41/14 on equal pay and recommended declaring an International Equal Pay Day.
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/74/142 on 18 December 2019, proclaiming 18 September as International Equal Pay Day and calling for annual observance beginning in 2020.
The first International Equal Pay Day was observed on 18 September 2020.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
United Nations Human Rights Council
Human Rights Council resolution 41/14 of 11 July 2019 recommended that the General Assembly declare an International Equal Pay Day.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/74/142
First documented observance
UN Secretary-General and UN system material identify 18 September 2020 as the first International Equal Pay Day.
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Review an organization’s pay bands, promotion criteria and job-evaluation process for consistency and transparency where you are authorized to do so.
Learn the difference between an overall gender pay gap and an individual equal-pay claim before interpreting workplace statistics.
Discuss how recruitment, promotion, caregiving responsibilities and occupational segregation can affect long-term earnings.
Use official labour, statistical or equality-body data when comparing pay patterns across occupations or countries.
For an individual dispute, check the law and complaint process that applies in the relevant jurisdiction rather than relying on a global observance page as legal advice.
Useful facts
International Equal Pay Day is observed on 18 September.
UN Human Rights Council resolution 41/14 recommended declaration of an International Equal Pay Day in July 2019.
The UN General Assembly established the observance through A/RES/74/142 on 18 December 2019.
The first International Equal Pay Day was observed on 18 September 2020.
The observance focuses on equal pay for work of equal value and broader progress toward pay equity.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
un.org — authoritative source (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/HRC/RES/41/14 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/74/142 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Secretary-General — First International Equal Pay Day (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Equal Pay Day?
18 September The stored recurrence guidance is: 18 September.
Does International Equal Pay Day fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is International Equal Pay Day an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Equal Pay Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as United Nations Human Rights Council.
Is International Equal Pay Day international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
When is International Equal Pay Day?
It is observed every year on 18 September.
Who established International Equal Pay Day?
The UN General Assembly proclaimed it through resolution A/RES/74/142 in December 2019, following a Human Rights Council recommendation earlier that year.
Does a pay gap statistic prove unlawful discrimination?
Not by itself. Aggregate pay gaps and individual legal equal-pay claims are different questions, and legal standards vary by jurisdiction.
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