Study after study has shown that women - in particular those in law firm practice - are not compensated at the same level as men. In August 2012, ABA President Laurel G. Bellows appointed a blue-ribbon Task Force on Gender Equity with a call to action for concrete movement in the issues of equity in the workplace and a principal focus on compensation.

You can help raise awareness of these critical issues by joining the "Click Your Heels" virtual march for gender equity.

Participating is as simple as clicking your heels three times:

1. The link to the website at www.americanbar.org/GenderEquity,
2. The vote button to the right of the red shoes, and
3. The click button.

Congratulations! You now have "clicked" your heels for gender equity.

Why is this important -- and what is the point? The visuals of hundreds of thousands of people descending on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and the sea of people coming together for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 have become iconic representations of people standing in concert to effect change. While nothing can ever replace the historic transcendence of that day, in this new millennium a virtual voice carries the same power and ability to effect change as a physical presence.

As in 1963, people of today still struggle with the ability to be treated equally in the work place. What is gender equity? It is equal pay for equal work. It is paternity leave without stigma. It is flexible time to meet personal and family needs, while still being able to participate and make a productive contribution to the work place. It is the recognition of the differences between men and women without diminishing the value and contribution each person provides. In a word, it is "fairness."

March with us through the ABA's Day of the Woman on August 10, 2013. For information on Day of the Woman events, visit www.americanbar.org/women.

Click your heels for gender equity .. and spread the word! You can learn more about the Task Force on Gender Equity and download its publications at no cost at www.americanbar.org/GenderEquity.