Dear John:
Every year, we commemorate Equal Pay Day and find out how many more days women have to work into the next year to be paid the same that men were the year before.
As you know, that difference in pay between men and women is what we call the wage gap.
But what many people don’t know is that more than 33 million women aren’t even counted in the wage gap because it only compares men and women who work full time, year-round – leaving out every woman who worked part-time or for only part of the year.
It’s indicative of how women are discounted at work — that even in a calculation about our earnings, the model itself is biased to favor men.
We all know someone who is being left out now.
They’re the nurses who left health care due to burnout and are now working part-time while getting a different degree.
They’re the home health aides who work part-time while caring for their aging parents.
They’re the hotel workers who were laid off when the pandemic hit and couldn't find a job for months.
When we count all workers, we see that failing to count these women in the wage gap understates how far we still are from equal pay.
- 73 cents for all women
- 75 cents for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women
- 58 cents for Black women
- 50 cents for Native women
- 49 cents for Latina women
To be clear: Racism and sexism — not individual choices — cause the wage gap. Sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and white supremacy interrupt women’s work and push them out of jobs and even entire industries.
The pandemic made that even worse, with unprecedented health and caregiving needs and huge losses in employment and cutbacks in work hours, with some of the most acute drops among Latina, Black, and AANHPI women.
That's why Equal Pay Day is about more than counting the cents on the dollar left out of women’s paychecks. It's about doing our part to fight for a world where women are valued and can build economic power.
Make your voice heard. Tell Congress to prioritize women’s economic security and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Thank you,
— Jessica
Jessica Mason
Senior Policy Analyst
