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Dear John,
Today is the last equal payday of the year: Latina equal pay day. Year after year, we mark these days as a somber recognition of how much money women are robbed of due to persistent race and sex discrimination in the workforce. To make matters worse, some people deny that the wage gap exists, despite the fact that the data comes straight from the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s up to us to counter any wage gap denial rhetoric, because fixing the wage gap starts with educating those around us.
Understanding the wage gap: The wage gap is calculated by comparing the median or typical annual earnings of women to the median annual earnings of men. These numbers only take into account people who work full time and year-round.
When you break down the comparisons, the pay gap is shockingly stark:
- Women make 84 cents for every dollar paid to men.
- Moms make 74 cents for every dollar paid to dads.
- AANHPI women make 92 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
- Black women are paid 67 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
- Native women are paid 57 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
- Latina women are paid 57 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
The wage gap exists for every demographic: Even when you try to break it down by education level, profession, or age, the wage gap doesn’t go away. From the lowest paying jobs to the highest paying jobs and across 94% of occupations a wage gap exists, which means women are being denied hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars over their lifetime.
The wage gap is present for many reasons: Women have been historically pushed into low-paid occupations due to discrimination, have less continuity in their careers due to inadequate access to caregiving support, and face consistent racism and sexism in a society that does not value a woman’s work as much as a man’s.
What we can do:
- Ensure access to caregiving support, including high-quality, affordable child care to ease the burden on women.
- Make sure all workers have access to paid sick and family leave.
- Help prevent and remedy caregiver discrimination and protect workers from pregnancy discrimination.
- Raise the wages of the lowest paying jobs in the economy where women are heavily overrepresented.
- Protect workers’ ability to unionize because unionized workplaces are more equitable workplaces.
- Strengthen equal pay laws so women can hold their employers accountable for wage gap discrepancies.
If we do not act, the wage gap will persist for decades. We can’t let that happen—for ourselves, our families, neighbors, co-workers, and the next generation of women to come. It’s time to pay women what they are owed.
In solidarity,
May Amoyaw
she/her/hers
Senior Manager for Campaigns and Digital Strategies, Economic Justice
National Women's Law Center
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