Tell Congress: Support Moms on Moms' Equal Pay Day and Every Day! TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

Today is Moms’ Equal Pay Day, the day we use to shed light on the persistent wage gap experienced by mothers in the workplace. On average moms earn just 63 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic dads. [1] Of course, the averages alone don’t tell the whole story because, due to structural racism, moms of color face much larger wage gaps when compared separately. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Equal Rights Act of 1964, the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin – I am grieved that we have yet to reach pay equity! This is unacceptable and moms will not stand for it!

But there is hope: We know how to close the wage gap and you can help!

We need Congress to swiftly pass:

• Paycheck Fairness Act, which would modernize and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to better combat pay discrimination and close the wage gap, including by protecting workers from retaliation for discussing pay, banning the use of prior salary history, and codifying pay data collection;
• Healthy Families Act, which would set a national standard for paid sick and safe days to allow workers in businesses with 15 or more employees to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick and safe days each year, and;
• FAMILY Act, which would provide workers with up to 12 weeks of partial income when they take time off from work for their own serious health condition; the serious health condition of a family member; the birth or adoption of a child; to address the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; and for certain reasons related to military deployment.

*Tell Congress: Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and support paid sick days, paid family and medical leave!

We know paid sick days and also paid family and medical leave work! In fact, the United States just tested out national paid sick days, as well as paid family and medical leave, in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs were highly effective at protecting public health, workers benefited from wage replacement and the ability to keep their jobs, and workers who took leave also reported greater peace of mind. [2] The programs also helped businesses and the economy by helping workers stay in their jobs so supply chains and business practices weren’t disrupted; and also by lowering recruitment and retraining costs for businesses. Now that the sun has set on these emergency programs, we see how permanent programs could help us prepare for future public health emergencies and protect workers and their families.

Moms' Equal Pay Day is an important reminder that over three-quarters of moms are breadwinners or co-breadwinners; [3] and that equal pay for moms is pivotal for lifting families out of poverty and boosting our national economy. The moms’ wage gap is about more than a few cents on the dollar. Moms are being consistently short changed to the tune of more than $800,000 over the course of a 40 year career! [4] That impacts how much we can invest in our local economy, our children’s future, and our future. 

Breadwinners shouldn’t be left with just crumbs! Urge Congress to PASS the Paycheck Fairness Act and advance earned sick days, and paid family and medical leave!

Speaking of investing in our future – “older women workers – who comprise 47% of the labor force ages 55 and older – are plagued by a gender wage gap that is even larger than the one their younger counterparts experience.” [5] Data shows that women workers aged 50+ are paid just 75 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. And less in our paychecks means, (say it with me) LESS IN OUR RETIREMENT! [5] So much less that women aged 65+ are at higher risk for poverty than men, due to the retirement income gap. [6]

This is a big deal. Overall, moms across all races and ethnicities are currently paid just 63 cents for every dollar paid to dads. But that doesn’t tell the full story, because for many moms that wage gap is way worse than 63 cents to the dollar. Latina and Native moms make just 41 cents, Black moms make just 48 cents, White moms make just 62 cents, and AAPI moms make just 75 cents compared to White, non-Hispanic dads. (Although if you further disaggregate the data for AAPI moms, many AAPI communities make far less). [4]

Tell Congress: Support moms on Moms' Equal Pay Day and every day!

The fact is that motherhood is a greater predictor of wage inequality than gender. In other words, the gender pay gap is largely due to motherhood – even if a woman ISN’T a mom, studies show the fact that she could potentially become a mom contributes to unequal pay. [7]

This is not right. Moms and their families need better workplace protections like earned sick days and paid family and medical leave – and businesses and our economy need this too. Afterall, women and moms make the majority of consumer purchasing decisions in a country with a GDP that’s fueled by consumer purchasing. So when moms don’t have funds to spend, we all lose out. Because of this, studies show that if women and moms did have equal pay, then our entire GDP for our nation would be lifted by 3% to 5% and half of children would be lifted out of poverty! [8] Equal pay is a win-win.

TAKE ACTION: On this Moms’ Equal Pay Day, ask Congress to help close the moms’ wage gap by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act and supporting earned sick days, and paid family and medical leave.

Thanks for all you do, 

– Taylor, Namatie, Ruth, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising / MamásConPoder team

P.S. - Have you or someone you love faced workplace discrimination or unfair pay? Sharing personal stories with our lawmakers is a powerful tool in the fight against discriminatory wage gaps! Make a video about your experience! 

Not comfortable on camera? Tell us about your wage discrimination experience here!

***Please also take a moment to forward this email to friends and family! Post the action link on Facebook and X to spread the word. The more of us who take action, the better chance we have of making this the last #MomsEqualPayDay!

References:
[1] Equal Pay Today: Moms' Equal Pay Day
[2] National Partnership for Women and Families: Learning Our Lesson: COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick and Family Leave Showed the Value of a Robust, Permanent Paid Leave Policy
[3] National Partnership for Women and Families: America’s Women and the Wage Gap
[4] National Women’s Law Center: The Wage Gap Robs Mothers of What They’re Owed
[5] U.S. Department of Labor Blog: Older and wiser, but not richer: The gender pay gap for older workers
[6] IWPR: Quick Figure: The Retirement Income Gap Leaves Women Aged 65+ at Higher Risk of Poverty than Men
[7] The New York Times: The Gender Pay Gap Is Largely Because of Motherhood
[8] Institute for Women’s Policy Research: The Economic Impact of Equal Pay by State

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.