82 Cents. Still Not Equal.
On August 26, 1920, women in the United States won the right to vote.
Fifty years later, in 1970, Congress designated August 26 as Women's Equality Day to mark that milestone, and to remind us that the fight for equality didn't end there.
More than a century after that first vote, women still earn 82 cents on the dollar. At the current pace, that gap isn't projected to close until 2155.
We're not waiting that long.
A Legacy of Not Waiting
Twenty years ago, Dress for Success San Francisco started with a rolling rack of clothes in the basement of Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, and a circle of dedicated volunteers who wanted to give women a professional outfit and a real shot at their next job.
Today, we've grown so much. We've expanded to job search programs, career coaching, financial education, a supportive community, and so much more. This is because of you.
Women's Equality Day has always been a moment for us to pause and ask: what does equality actually require, not someday, but now?
The answer keeps evolving. Today, that means confronting a new gap forming inside the old one. New research from Lean In shows women are less likely than men to use AI at work, less likely to use it daily, and less likely to be praised for it when they do. Small gaps in usage today become large gaps in opportunity tomorrow, and we're not willing to let that happen on our watch. That's why our cohort programs are increasingly becoming AI-focused, helping Bay Area women build these skills early, with support, not in spite of a system that isn't set up to encourage them.
What Not Waiting Looks Like
Ayanna knows what it means to move forward before the world catches up. Before Dress for Success, she faced housing instability and a minimum-wage job. Nearly seven years later, she's been promoted, works full-time, is raising two sons, and is graduating with her BA in Psychology in 2026.
"Through perseverance and growth, I was promoted, secured full-time employment, and have now been with the same organization for nearly seven years," Ayanna says.
This year alone, we've already served more than 750 Bay Area women and delivered over 1,400 appointments. Participants in our cohort programs have seen an average 191% income increase within a year of completing them, and 52% secure employment within 45 days of their final coaching session.
This Work Isn't Finished
We cannot do this work without you. You are the reason this work is possible, and the reason it's making a real difference for Bay Area women.
We've already raised almost $14,000 toward our $40,000 goal for 20Forward, our 20th anniversary peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.
On Women's Equality Day, we're reaffirming why this work can't wait. Join us in closing that gap faster.
Dress for Success San Francisco and San Jose is a leading resource for advancing women in the workplace. Our purpose is to empower women to achieve economic mobility by providing a network of support, workplace attire, and development tools for success.