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In contrast, only 14 percent of public -sector employees in the IWPR study reported that pay discussions were either discouraged or prohibited. This higher degree of transparency in the public sector may be related to the greater gender pay equity found in the federal government. Federal workers can easily see how their salaries compare with others at their grade level and geographical location. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management makes public the salary and wage range for each level of federal worker and additional locality pay for areas where the cost of living is higher (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2016). Among white-collar federal workers, women were paid 87 percent of what men were paid in 2012, compared with 77 percent in the workforce as a whole in 2012 (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2014). In recognition of this problem, President Obama signed an executive order in 2014 banning retaliation for wage disclosure for federal contracting employers, reaching approximately 26 million workers. Moreover, there are limited protections under state laws and the federal National Labor Relations Act, and the_EEOC recently issued guidance describing when employers' retaliation for employees' wage disclosure or inquiries may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, these protections do not reach all employees and circumstances. Therefore, as we continue to fight for uniform federal protections, as a best practice, AAUW recommends that employers do not impose punitive pay -secrecy policies in the workplace. They hurt employees' ability to share information to facilitate equal opportunities in the workplace and impede effective enforcement of pay discrimination laws. A more open approach can foster the perception that compensation is handled fairly and can improve employee morale (Payscale, 2017). Banning the Use of Prior Salary History The practice of using past salaries to set current wages perpetuates the gender pay gap because it assumes that prior salaries were fairly established by previous employers. Relying on salary history allows a new employer to continue underpaying a woman who faced a pay gap and lost wages due to bias or discrimination at a previous job. Salary history questions can also introduce bias and discrimination into the recruitment process of a company that may be attempting to avoid it. Employers should prohibit the use of salary history and instead use market research to determine what the position is worth to the organization. If a woman starts her career with a pay gap tainted by prior discrimination, it's likely to follow her from job to job. As discussed below, there are also state and federal efforts working to eliminate these practices, but in the meantime, employers can take this important action on their own. LATINAS IN THE U.S. FOR EVERY DOLLAR PAID TO WHITE MEN. AAU , AAUW • www.aauw.org THE SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT THE GENDER PAY GAP 1 Fall 2018 Edition 49