Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2023
July 9, 2024
Based on Census data from 2022, the wage gap for Black women compared to non-Hispanic white men is 69 cents for full time, year-round workers and 66 cents for all workers (including part time).
Since our country’s founding, racism and sexism have shaped the structure of our economy, laws and policies. As a result, pay discrimination and occupational segregation (the segregation of women into low paid and undervalued jobs) have long inflicted harm upon Black women in the workforce. The resulting injustice affects individuals on a personal level and reverberates through their children, families, communities, and our economy. Changing this is intricately tied to fair and equitable wages, better jobs, and equal opportunities. The need for both equal pay and higher pay is urgent. This underscores the pressing importance of raising awareness about the solutions to these issues for Black Women's Equal Pay Day.
For this year’s Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, our shared calls to action will center around urging:
Federal lawmakers for swift passage of the 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.
Governors and other state officials to ensure that the historic infrastructure investments recently enacted into law lead to better and higher-paid jobs for Black women. Without intentional interventions to address the underrepresentation of Black women in quality jobs supported by these unprecedented federal investments, we risk replicating current inequities and exclusions.
Thank you for joining us this year in marking this important day.
On behalf of the Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Co-Leads,
Equal Pay Today | National Council of Negro Women | Black Women’s Roundtable | Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable | National Partnership for Women and Families | National Women’s Law Center
On July 26, 2023 Equal Pay Today held a virtual conversation with EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows and the incredible leaders of the BWEPD organizational hosts to discuss the pay gaps for Black women, the contributors to this ongoing problem, the devastating impact on Black women and families, and the solutions for closing the pay gaps once and for all. Watch the video below!
A new study from Equal Rights Advocates shows over 50% of Black and Latinx struggled to make ends meet during the reign of the pandemic.
