💰 Axios PM: Pay gap antidote

Plus: Sunset from the upper deck | Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By The Brennan Center for Justice   Axios PM By Mike Allen · May 10, 2023 😎 Hello, Wednesday happy hour! Today's PM — edited by Erica Pandey — is 455 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.     1 big thing: Shrinking the government pay gap Data: U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios The nation's largest employer — the federal government — wants to ban salary history questions from its own job interview process, Axios' Emily Peck reports. 💡 Why it matters: Relying on a job applicant's current salary to determine their pay can perpetuate unfairness, scholars have long argued. It can exacerbate pay gaps by effectively anchoring some candidates to lower wages throughout their careers. ⚡ What's happening: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which oversees 2.2 million federal employees, released a proposed regulation this morning that would prohibit federal agencies from using a job candidate's current or past salary to determine pay in most federal jobs. 21 states already either ban salary history questions or regulate them to some extent. This regulation would lead to more change: Federal workforce standards often influence how the private sector operates. 🖼️ The big picture: Women in the U.S. earn an average of 17% less than men. That number has hardly budged for years. Because pay is more transparent for federal workers than in the private sector, the gender gap for federal workers is narrower. Women are now paid about 6% less than men on average. Share this story.     2. 💊 FDA backs over-the-counter birth control Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios   An FDA advisory panel today unanimously endorsed making daily birth control pills available over-the-counter for the first time, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez reports. Why it matters: If the FDA follows the recommendation and switches HRA Pharma's Opill away from prescription-only use, it could expand the availability of contraception — and deepen partisan rifts over reproductive health in the post-Roe landscape. Look for a final decision from the FDA to come in the summer. 🧮 By the numbers: Reproductive rights advocates say that allowing for the over-the-counter sale of birth control pills could increase access to the 19 million women living in contraceptive deserts. Share this story.     A message from The Brennan Center for Justice President Biden must fully ban racial profiling     No one should be targeted for investigation or suspicion using race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or ethnicity. Our security and values are best served when federal agencies make decisions based on facts, not bias. Learn more.     3. Catch me up Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 🦾 Above: Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai keynotes today's packed Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California. "We are reimagining all our products, including search," he said. Coming soon: A "Help Me Write" option for Gmail that will produce a reply in seconds. Live updates. 🇺🇦 Arman Soldin, an Agence France-Presse journalist, was killed yesterday by rocket fire in eastern Ukraine. The 32-year-old was AFP's Ukraine video coordinator, based in Kyiv. Go deeper. ⚖️ Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was arrested today on federal criminal charges, including seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. He pleaded not guilty. Go deeper.     4. ⚾ Parting shot Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP Fans watch the sunset from the upper deck during a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox in Kansas City yesterday.     A message from The Brennan Center for Justice President Biden must fully ban racial profiling     No one should be targeted for investigation or suspicion using race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or ethnicity. Our security and values are best served when federal agencies make decisions based on facts, not bias. Learn more.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: