WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today is Equal Pay Day, a stark reminder of how far into the year women must work to be paid what men were paid the previous year.
White women working full time in the U.S. make 83 cents for every dollar made by white men: that adds up to a loss of more than $500 billion a year. The pay gap is even larger for women of color, with Latinas earning 49 cents on the dollar and Black women making 57 cents for every dollar earned by white men.
At the current pace, women are not estimated to reach pay parity with men until 2059. But we can’t wait for economic justice. That’s why this Thursday, March 17, NOW is holding a roundtable conversation called “Dollar for Dollar NOW: From Pay Equity to Paid Leave, the Push for Economic Justice.”
We’re gathering economists, advocates, policy experts and strategists for a deep dive into the systemic ways financial freedom is denied to women—and what we can do about it. You can register for “Dollar For Dollar NOW” here.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented job losses that had the deepest impact on women. Between February and April 2020, women lost 12.2 million jobs, reversing an entire decade of job gains. And the job losses that took place during the pandemic are not outliers in the labor landscape for women. The pay gap exists in nearly every profession—with 15 of the 20 highest-paying jobs dominated by men, and 14 of the 20 lowest-paying jobs dominated by women.
And because women earn less and are paid less in the Social Security system, they receive less in Social Security benefits, and lag behind men in pension benefits and retirement savings.
NOW members are calling on Congress to make pay equity a priority and for states and localities to pass their own bills to close the gender wage gap. Let’s get Equal Pay Day off the calendar, once and for all.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.