The gender wage gap hits women of color particularly hard. Employers trap women of color in lower wages by using salary history to make new offers. Black and Brown women are disproportionately...
When there’s something we need to do to take care of the people we love, no matter how hard it is, we reach down, pull it up, and do what we need to do.
That’s the story of people across the country — going to work before the sun’s up, taking extra classes, scrambling to find child care so they can gain a foothold to work for the American dream.
But right now, because of decades of systemic discrimination, when women of color work to provide financial security for their families, they face a steeper climb.
The gender wage gap hits women of color particularly hard. Employers trap women of color in lower wages by using salary history to make new offers. Black and Brown women are disproportionately mistreated at work. And their path to higher-level management jobs is rockier.
On Day One of a Warren administration, we’ll make this plan happen with a series of executive actions:
1. Historic new requirements for federal contractors.
Companies with federal contracts employ roughly a quarter of the U.S. workforce. By imposing new rules on companies that hope to receive federal contracts, we can take a big step toward creating equal opportunities for Black, Latina, Native American, Asian and other women of color.
Companies with bad track records on equal pay and management diversity won’t get new contracts. No contractor will be permitted to use forced arbitration clauses, or non-compete clauses for low- and medium-wage workers.
We’ll ban contractors from asking applicants for past salary information and criminal histories, and ensure fair pay and benefits for all of their workers — including a $15 minimum wage, paid family leave, fair scheduling, and collective bargaining rights. This will have an outsized effect on Black and Brown women, who perform a disproportionate share of lower-wage work.
2. Making sure the senior ranks of the federal government look like America.
Right now, the federal government does a dismal job on diversity and inclusion. The share of Latinas in the federal workforce is about half that of the entire workforce. And even though Black women are disproportionately represented in the federal workforce, they are nearly absent from its leadership ranks.
My administration will ensure that federal agencies recruit women of color and develop leadership paths for them. If we’re going to demand more of the private sector, we should demand more of the government too.
3. Strengthening and targeting enforcement against systemic discrimination.
Sectors that disproportionately employ Black and Brown women — such as the low-wage service industry — have higher rates of discriminatory practices. But women in these sectors are much less likely to report violations.
I will direct federal agencies to target enforcement toward industries where we know women of color face higher rates of discrimination.
This new plan is just the first step — but it’s a necessary one. It’s time to build an America that recognizes the role that women of color play in their families and in the economy, that fairly values their work, and that delivers equal opportunity for everyone.
Elizabeth doesn't accept contributions from PACs of any kind or federally registered lobbyists. This grassroots movement is powered by supporters like you. Chip in now to help build our movement.
