Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls Marks Black Womens’ Equal Pay Day
Today is Black Womens’ Equal Pay Day, marking the additional time Black women must work into the new year to earn what white men earned by the end of the previous year
July 10th is more than six months of extra work. It takes more than 18 months, on average, for Black women to earn what white men made in 12. For every dollar that white, non-Hispanic men earn, Black women make just 66 cents. Over the course of a career, this can add up to nearly $1 million.
This consistent gap is due to a variety of factors. Lack of adequate pay transparency means Black women cannot fairly negotiate for the wages they deserve. Occupational segregation has relegated many Black women to lower-paying sectors of the economy, and excluded them from more lucrative leadership positions. Hiring discrimination means fewer Black women land high-paying jobs and even when they do, they are less likely to be selected for promotion.
All of these have lasting consequences that perpetuate inequality. Reduced wages means reduced retirement savings and lasting financial insecurity. It also limits the freedom of Black women to make capital investments which would grow their wealth, denying them one of the primary benefits of the capitalist system.
“Generations of structural inequity, occupational segregation and intentional neglect have kept this pay gap from narrowing more than a few cents over the last several decades,” said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman. “I remain committed to working alongside my fellow Co-Chairs on the Caucus on Black Women and Girls to dismantle these barriers through legislation, and will continue to raise awareness of these conditions until equal pay for Black women is a guaranteed right, not a restricted privilege.”
"The wide pay gap for Black women compared to white men in this country is unacceptable,” said Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02). “When Black women don't get paid what they deserve, our whole economy suffers. On Black Women Equal Pay Day and every day, I continue to speak out and demand action from my fellow members of Congress to correct this injustice. Each of us knows our own worth, and it is beyond time our pay reflects our worth."
“For too long, the pay gap experienced by Black women in the workforce has remained America’s widest, most devastating pay gap – and it didn’t come to be by accident,” said Rep. Yvette D. Clarke. “This pay gap is a symptom of centuries of abuse and exploitation designed to relegate a population to the margins of the world’s most lucrative economy and deny them the economic justice they deserve. It is a tragedy that Black women have been underpaid, undervalued, and underappreciated since this country’s founding. But today, we rise together to demand change.”