- March 8, 2025
Carmenda Laymon was once the top sales agent at her company. She brought in more than $20,000 per month.
She worked solely on commission and, after years of working in the company’s office in Oklahoma, relocated to Florida to telecommute.
One day, she learned that her coworker, who also worked from home, was paid a salary on top of his commission. He was also reimbursed for his home office costs, including Internet, computer and a private phone line. She’d been working for the company for years by the time he was hired, she was more qualified, and she beat his sales numbers consistently.
She couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t paid as much as he was. But she decided to do something about it.
She spent the next couple of years launching her own small business, and eventually, it was strong enough for her to quit her job. Her business, 360FlaglerCounty.org, is going strong today, and she is the president-elect of the Flagler County Chapter of the American Association of University Women.
Discovering that she made a significantly lower salary than a male coworker in the same position was frustrating, Laymon said. But what’s more frustrating to her is the knowledge that the story is not unique.
Women earn on average 77 cents for every $1 similarly qualified men in the same positions make, according to a survey from the AAUW. That number hasn’t changed in the last decade.
In response, proponents of equal pay will recognize the wage disparity at Unhappy Hour, a nationwide event held Tuesday, which is Equal Pay Day, recognized in April to signify the point into the new year that a woman must work to make what a man made the year before.
The Flagler County chapter is having its Unhappy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Farley’s Irish Pub. Participants are asked to wear red that day to show how far “in the red” women are when compared to men.
“The wage gap affects women their whole life,” said Susan Baird, the current president of the AAUW Flagler chapter. “In Flagler County, the majority of the women in our club are retired. Of course, how much you made in your career affects you into your retirement.”
Laymon said the best thing people can do is tell the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is meant to close loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act that allow for discriminatory pay practices. Discrimination can affect everyone, she said, but it mostly impacts women and minorities.
One of the AAUW’s goals is to educate women about how to secure equal pay.
“Salary is an uncomfortable topic because it’s so private,” Baird said. “One of the things we try to do is educate women, especially those entering the workforce, about their options. It’s appropriate to ask, when accepting a job, what the salary range is for other (employees) in the same position.”
Despite her experience, Laymon is hopeful that one day things will improve. Decades ago, things were worse, she said, and they can only get better.
“It was extremely frustrating to know that I was working harder and working longer hours and bringing in more business for my company, and yet I was not reaping any of the rewards of that,” Laymon said. “And it’s not just about women. There are men who are making less than other men as well, and in the end, it comes down to equality.”
