In First Executive Order, Governor Fulfills Key Campaign Pledge

Trenton – In his first official act after being sworn in, Governor Phil Murphy today signed an executive order combating gender inequality and promoting equal pay for women in New Jersey. He was joined by legislators, officials, activists, and community members all involved in the fight for gender equity and equal pay.

“Today, New Jersey takes the first meaningful step towards gender equity and fighting the gender pay gap,” Murphy said. “This concept is a cornerstone of our effort to build a stronger and fairer New Jersey, and it is why I am making this the focus of my first executive order as Governor.”

Under Executive Order #1, state agencies and offices are explicitly prohibited from asking a job applicant for their past wage history, or investigating the prior salaries of their applicants. Murphy said the move would ensure that state employees receive salaries that are commensurate with their skills, qualifications, and experience.

In New Jersey, women working full-time earn, on average 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man in a full-time position. That disparity worsens to 58 cents for Black women and to 43 cents for Latinas. According to research from the National Partnership for Women and Families, wage inequality leads to a combined loss of $32.5 billion.

“Here and now we begin the process of bulldozing the roadblocks that have kept women from being paid fairly, that have kept many women of color from fulfilling their dreams of entering the middle class, and that have allowed our wage gap to persist,” Murphy said.

Governor Murphy urged the State Legislature to send legislation to his desk banning the practice statewide, pledging to sign it.

Governor Murphy’s Executive Order #1