By: Samantha Rinkus '11

Published on

This Valentine's Day, Aquinas' Women Studies Center will be hosting their 12th annual Equality Bake Sale in the Academic Building lobby. Students and faculty alike will be selling their wares in an attempt to raise awareness of the gender wage gap which is still an issue in our country.

“Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to have the sale because people can buy something homemade for their loved ones and learn something, too,” said Marissa Brizzolara, an intern in the Women’s Studies Center. “The equality bake is intended to highlight the disparity between the wages of men and women in a fun, engaging way.”

The current gap has women earning an average of 77 cents to every dollar that men earn. In order to demonstrate this gap, prices of Bake Sale items will reflect this ratio, with proceeds going towards various local women’s organizations such as the Women’s Resource Center or the YWCA.

“It provides a comfortable setting for people to learn about and discuss women’s issues, especially related to work and the wage gap,” said Brizzolara. “It’s a light-hearted way to draw attention to how absurd the wage gap is and replicate the feeling – on a much smaller scale – of how alienating wage inequality is.”

Baked goods are provided by faculty, staff, students and friends of the Aquinas community. Participation, whether through donating or purchasing items, is open to anyone. The sale will be held February 14 in the Academic Building Lobby from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.